Trust, Loyalty, Commitment
by belli486
Summary: Bella, Director of her church's Afterschool Program, has been faithful to her commitment to remain a virgin until she is married. Tallahassee Police Officer, Edward Cullen's charm and sex appeal severely challenges her resolve. AU/AH Rated M Adult Content
1. Preface TLC

**PREFACE**

Bella had never given much thought about losing her virginity – though she'd had plenty reason enough in the last few months – but even if she had, never in a million years would she have imagined losing her virginity like this!

Staring across the room into the lust-filled eyes of the deranged man who was once her childhood friend, Bella knew that she had every reason to be terrified. However, she couldn't let her terror consume her. Her virginity had been the gift she'd wanted to give to her husband ever since she understood what sex was all about. For the last several months, she had fallen deeper and deeper in love with a man who didn't think himself worthy of her when they first met. Finally, he had asked her to marry him, but they'd had to separate briefly because he feared for her safety. Not to mention, the passion they'd had for one another had driven them both to the edge of insanity, and despite his checkered past, he'd flatly refused to allow her to compromise her faith. She looked down hopelessly at the beautiful platinum diamond ring on left hand. It couldn't end like this.

At that moment she knew she needed to fight. And fight she would, because she absolutely could not allow this animal to take what belonged to only one man. This was a precarious situation because she also needed to live through this altercation. Fighting to save her virtue would require her to fight someone who was stronger and twice her size to either wound or kill. She prayed for survival, for both herself and the man she loved because she knew he would be devastated either way this turned out. Finally she prayed for strength because this rapist was mistaken, if in his demented state of salaciousness, he believed he would leave this room after having taken what he had come for.

This would only happen over her dead body!


	2. Ch 1 TLC: Love Yet Eludes Me

A/N: This is my very first fanfic ever. It is inevitable that I will probably make some mistakes, so let me know when I'm completely off the reservation, OK. But be tactful and courteous as I will always be to you. Bella and Edward are in the Florida Panhandle where feelings about interracial dating may not be as widely accepted as it is in say Metropolitan South Florida, hence some of the racial tensions in the story are warranted. There are still small towns in the Panhandle that fly the Confederate Flag and sell bumper stickers and t-shirts that tout their disdain for people of color. Tallahassee is a college town, so interracial dating in the Capital City is more accepted in the college communities. The south is also considered the Bible Belt, so Bella as a born-again Christian is not far-fetched at all.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I am just living vicariously through them.

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

"**All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him." – Song of Songs 3:1**

**Chapter 1 Love Yet Eludes Me**

Bella was annoyed with God. Not in the way that the children of Israel might have been when they wandered around in the desert for 40 years, either. Her annoyance was more akin to the way the Israelites might have felt when they were held in captivity in Egypt and the evil Pharaoh had given them even less straw to make the bricks he demanded of them.

She was royally peeved because she was lonely. She desired male companionship, and not just a gratuitous boy toy that she could play with a while and discard when she got bored. She wanted to meet "the one" already, but that little blessing had eluded her for most of her young adult life. She was pursuing her career passion, but she was missing the passion that was the love of her life.

Bella was the only child of an interracial couple who met as children during the waning years of the Civil Rights movement in the very church where Dr. King delivered many of his most prolific sermons. The Swans made sure that Bella had cut her teeth on passion.

Bella's mother, the former Renee Higginbotham, had become a lawyer because the dream she envisioned for her children included the possibility that even little "colored girls" like her could be whatever they wanted to be in life. Her father, Rev. Charles Swan, who humbly began as a small town police officer, realized that he had a higher purpose for his life when God called him first to marry Renee and then embark on a new career as a Presbyterian preacher.

Renee and Charlie were a formidable team. Together, they had founded the City of Hope Church on the south side of Tallahassee and built it to five hundred members, an apartment community and a community center in less than five years. If Charlie was the type of preacher who sugarcoated the gospel, the church would probably be a lot bigger, but he was known to be a straight shooter, both in his former and current vocations.

Charlie and Renee's dream for Bella was for her to be viewed as a woman of faith who, just as in Dr. King's dream, was judged by the content of her character and not the color of her skin. However, in her case it would be more accurately described as "the color of her maternal ancestors' skins."

Although Bella was biracial, her coloring was quite the anomaly. Renee liked to call it "dark peaches and cream." Even though her features belied any claim she could make to being totally Caucasoid, her skin was practically translucent. Charlie said she had inherited the Swan blush, which members of his family had borne for generations. And Bella was proud of all of who she was. Unlike some in the public eye who downplay their African American roots, Bella was happy to be the daughter of both Renee and Charlie. Like Barack Obama, she embraced her heritage in all of its beauty and its ugliness.

Bella had been waiting patiently for her soul mate for twenty- two, soon to be twenty-three, years but to date he had not shown up. At least that's what her personal prophet, and newest best friend, Mary Alice Whitlock, had assured her last year when they first met at the altar of City of Hope Church. Alice, also like Dr. King, had had a dream. This morning Bella's "I Have a Dream" had consisted of a full-blown wet dream starring some pale, nameless, faceless, dreamboat of a man who brought her to the brink of passion, but refused to seal the deal. Even her personal dreams robbed her of passion and left her sexually frustrated.

Bella often considered that if she were not a preacher's kid, and had not made the "It's Great to Wait" commitment when she was thirteen, the pool of eligible men would increase exponentially for her. However, she had never thought seriously about breaking that commitment or expanding her options to include men who were not of the Christian faith. She had never been desperate enough to do that. Yet, today she was feeling particularly annoyed, and not so much at God anymore, that _she_ didn't even have a prospect on the horizon.

_Hey God, can you throw a girl a bone here?_

Bella had given this feeling a moniker: empty arms. This empty-armed feeling she had was always more pronounced when she spent time with Alice and her husband, Jasper. Those two had been married three years, but you would have thought their wedding had been last week. Their PDA was tolerable if you were an incurable romantic, but bordered on nauseating if you weren't into that sort of thing. Bella loved them and was happy for what they had together, but it always seemed to underscore more what she didn't have.

Bella was dwelling none too happily on this fact as she exited her car at the City of Hope Community Center where she had been serving as the Director for almost a year, since she'd completed her bachelors degree at Spellman and returned to Tallahassee to spend the summer with her family. When her maternal grandmother had suffered a stroke, she'd decided to stay in Tallahassee and Charlie had offered her the position at the Center.

This was not what she had intended to do with her English Literature degree, but because she had an Elementary Education minor, it was a good enough fit. Then the unexpected happened. She fell in love with the children and the program she had tweaked at the Center to be exactly what she envisioned for an urban after school educational program, which incorporated classic literature, music, and mathematics. Preliminary testing of the children in her program had convinced her father and the Board of Directors that she was perfect for a long-term position at the Center, so she had happily accepted the position with a nice raise in salary.

Bella was brought out of her reverie by her cell phone, as it began its rendition of "Claire de Lune" when she was almost at the door of her office. It was her mother.

"I got your message, Lovely!" Her mother sounded excited. "What's the good news? Have you met my future son-in-law, yet?"

_Somebody kill me now._

"No, Mom, I have not met anyone." Bella propped her cell phone on her left shoulder next to her ear so she could juggle a latte, a laptop and briefcase to unlock her office door. "The good news is: I've been accepted into graduate school at FSU. You know, I had my interview with Dr. Tolbert today in the education department and while I can't do the fellowship because I don't want to give up my job at the center, I will be getting my letter of acceptance into the program in a couple of days."

Bella eyed a police car pulling into the lot as she turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open.

"That is great news, Bella. However, I thought you were about to tell me that you had a new beau." Renee Swan loved to hound her daughter about her love life, or lack thereof. But today of all days, Bella was really not in the mood.

"Can you at least bring the lingo into this century? No one uses the word beau anymore, Mom." Bella cringed and took the cell phone in her hand again as she set her things down in the chair next to her desk, pushing a foot out behind her and kicking the door shut.

"I can say beau, I'm from another generation," her Mom quipped playfully. "So tell me again why Jacob Black wasn't right for you?" Jacob Black was the son of a very close family friend, Billy Black, who was a Tallahassee Police Captain and a member of their church. Her mother never seemed to forget that the first match she tried to make for Bella did not work out.

"Jacob is just… different." Bella didn't have the heart to tell her mother that she was pretty sure Jacob was gay. Her mother was business smart, but had no 'gaydar.' Her first college boyfriend, Phil, had been gorgeous enough to be a Mr. Universe contestant but had also been a closeted homosexual, and Renee had been crushed. This development sent her right back into the arms of Charles Swan, her longsuffering and loyal childhood sweetheart.

"People thought that about your Dad, but you know the old saying, 'still waters run deep.'"

"But not "down low,'" Bella retorted.

"What was that, Baby?" Renee seemed preoccupied now as Bella heard keys clicking on the computer and papers being shuffled around on her mother's desk. Renee was an Attorney and the controlling partner of Swan, Thomas, Zachary and Brewster, PA. She was a formidable litigator in Tallahassee and was well respected.

"Nothing, Ma." Bella walked through the Center opening blinds and turning on the lights. "So, tell Dad I'm good for at least another two years at the Center, OK."

"I'll tell Charlie," her mom said dryly. "He'll be ecstatic, of course."

"Mommeee," Bella pleaded. "I know you think I should be married and teaching in a school district somewhere so I can build tenure, but this is where I belong right now."

"I know but I can hope for something more for my only daughter, can't I? I finished law school, was married and trying to have babies by the time I was twenty three, you know." Charlie and Renee had gone through four miscarriages before Bella was finally born. They were ecstatic when they finally hit the jackpot, and had planned more, but Renee had almost died when Bella was born, so Charlie quietly got a vasectomy and flatly refused to put Renee through that again.

"Yes, I know, but times are different now, Mom. Women are choosing careers now and putting off marriage and especially procreation." Bella walked back into her office and was about to pick up her laptop when a staccato tapping on the door made her jump. She turned to see a police officer peering into the window of her office door.

"Gotta go, Mom. Tallahassee's finest is at my door." Bella opened the door and held up a forefinger to signal the officer that she would be off in a second. She didn't really look at him, but was concentrating on getting her mom off the phone.

"Hope it's not any more bad news about those poor kids over there," Renee said solemnly. "Well, I'll let you go…Oh, dinner with us tonight?"

"No, I'm hanging with Angela tonight," Bella referred to her best friend, a foreign exchange student from the Mediterranean that her parents sponsored to come over to live with them when they were both in High School. She and Angela were now more like sisters.

"Give Angela our love." Renee declared. "Bye Baby."

Bella clicked her phone shut.

"Officer," she acknowledged. "How may I help you?" She prepared herself mentally for the drill, but then was surprised to see that this was not the same officer who was regularly assigned to cover the apartment community that her church had adopted as one of their mission fields. The first thing she registered was the emerald green eyes that seemed to pierce her soul. This guy was strikingly handsome, and younger than any of their previous community liaisons. He was about a foot taller than she was, even in the ambitious pumps she was wearing. Although slender, he was not rock-star thin, but boasted sinewy muscles that were definitely not manufactured from a steroid bottle. Shocking reddish-brown hair, almost copper in color, was finger combed back from his face, and wildly peeking out from under his cap. The paleness of his skin made him look almost angelic as he stood there, apparently giving her the once-over as well. She nervously bit her bottom lip, motioning for him to come in.

"Ma'am." The officer touched the brim of his cap briefly, then took it off and tucked it under his arm.

The gesture reminded Bella of those cheesy cop movies her Dad liked to watch from the seventies. She smirked, folded her arms and waited for him to speak again.

"I'm Officer Edward Cullen, TPD. Are you the Director of this Center?" His velvet drawl was distinct, but not overtly, sort of lilting and sexy. He couldn't be more than a few years older than she was, but his demeanor was all business.

"Yes, I'm Bella Swan." She offered a hand and they shared a firm shake. Touching his skin made her face grow warm, and hoped she wasn't blushing. "What? Do I have another delinquent in your custody?"

"No, Ma'am. I just wanted to come by and introduce myself. Captain Black has assigned me to cover the City of Hope Apartment Community. Officer Padgett was reassigned."

"Please, just call me Bella," she corrected. "My grandmother is the only woman in my family who answers to Ma'am."

Bella grinned broadly, shifted her weight slightly on one hip and shook her head.

"Protocol requires I use a bit of decorum, Ms. Swan."

"Alright, Officer Cullen. Hope you're better at this than Officer Padgett," she chided. "He was extremely non-responsive!"

It seemed like her candor may have been slightly off-putting to him, but he continued to smile. "As this is _my_ assignment, you can be sure _I_ will be responsive."

The inflection in his voice was a dead give away, but Bella was pleased that her directness had gotten a rise out of him, but hadn't rattled him too much. She didn't like weak as dishwater men who didn't know how to stand up to a strong woman. Bella was not usually attracted to just anything in uniform like many of her girlfriends, but found herself drawn to his brooding good looks tempered with a modesty that she was unable to explain.

"Have a seat, Officer Cullen." She moved her laptop and briefcase onto her desk. He sat in the chair offered, but did not relax. She also sat in the chair behind her desk.

"It might be helpful if you gave me an overview on what you do here," he stated plainly. "I know that this area is rough, to say the least. I was previously assigned to a precinct in Killearn."

Bella smiled, "You're not in Killearn anymore, Officer Cullen." Her brown eyes locked with his interested green ones, as she gave him a brief rundown. "In fact, there is upheaval here almost every day of the week. The residents have a median income of about $11,000.00. Most households are headed by single mothers with several children. The children in K-8 attend an after school program here in the Center. The children in High School…not so much. They prefer to hang out with their friends on the property and the community at large stirring up trouble wherever it can be found. You see everything here: drugs, alcoholism, prostitution, domestic abuse, gang activity, occasional assaults and murder. The Center is a safe haven for the children at the City of Hope Apartment Community. Together with several churches who volunteer here, I manage the after school program and other community activities. We provide mentoring, tutoring, and spiritual guidance. Our goal is to try to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness while they're young."

"So, you flying solo today?" Officer Cullen looked dubious.

"The volunteers will be here in about fifteen minutes. They usually get here just before the children arrive." Bella opened her laptop bag and slid the laptop onto her desk.

Officer Cullen seemed relieved. "That's good. You can never be too careful, Ms. Swan."

Bella smiled again. He was so dedicated, so professional, so concerned, and so beautiful.

"I'm sure I'll have nothing to worry about, now that you're here, Officer Cullen."

**EPOV**

Edward finished logging his location in on his PC, got out of his squad car and approached the City of Hope Community Center office. He had seen a rather attractive, exotic young woman enter the building just before him. He didn't see her face but, from behind she looked like she could give his current flavor of the month, Tanya Denali, a serious run for her money.

_Easy Cullen! You're here to work._

Peering through the window, he saw her moving around through the building with a cell phone glued to her ear, opening blinds and preparing for the day. Her coloring was exquisite, almost the color of translucent warm caramel, but lighter and more subtle. Her almost burgundy brown hair fell in cascades of wavy curls over her shoulders. His police training made him adept at figuring out what nationality people were. Her exotic features clued him in that she was biracial. She reminded him of a prettier version of Rashida Jones or Jessica Alba, a couple of his favorite actresses. When he saw her heart-shaped face for the first time, he was smitten by the vulnerability there, yet she also exuded a confidence, a bit of bravado that was sexy as hell.

He balled his slender fingers into a slight fist and tapped on the door with the first knuckle on his right hand. The woman was visibly startled, but she kept talking on the phone as she came to answer the door. She opened the door and held up a forefinger signaling that she would be off in a second. Edward was assaulted by a wonderful scent that was elegant, yet playful at the same time. It began as irresistible as Sicilian citron, but built into something more floral as he adjusted to the smell, like a mixture of Bluebell, Arabian Jasmine and White Rose, ringing resolutely feminine, deep and true. This woman was captivating and he felt himself becoming aroused as her scent assaulted him. He immediately began exercising a little trick he had taught himself while in the Marines. If he played "Taps" in his head, it would effectively quash his traitorous thoughts and their accompanying physical reaction. The haunting melody played at military funerals was a sure killjoy.

"No, I'm hanging with Angela tonight," She said to whomever she was talking to on the phone, and looking just a little bit disappointed. He wondered if it was a boyfriend or fiancé. She wore a tiny platinum ring on the ring finger of her left hand that had a row of interlocking hearts on it. After another couple of seconds, she abruptly clicked her phone shut and gave him her full attention.

"Officer," she said sincerely. "How may I help you?" When she took him in with a sweeping glance that she tried to hide behind her long black eye lashes, she then did the most adorable thing. She caught one side of her bottom lip in her teeth, and he had to resist the overwhelming urge to kiss her.

"Ma'am." Edward touched the brim of his cap briefly, then took it off and tucked it under his arm.

The vulnerability left her then. She smirked, folded her arms and waited for him to speak again.

"I'm Officer Edward Cullen, TPD. Are you the Director of this Center?" Edward was never nervous around women, but this one had single-handedly unnerved him. He vowed to stick to the business at hand.

"Yes, I'm Bella Swan." She reached out to shake his hand and he took it firmly, reveling in how soft her skin was, but being careful not to hold her hand too long. He began humming Taps in his head again.

Her light caramel complexion darkened infinitesimally, a slight dusty rose blush showing through. "What? Do I have another delinquent in your custody?" She asked earnestly. Her deep brown eyes were troubled, and he quickly reassured her.

"No, Ma'am. I just wanted to come by and introduce myself. Captain Black has assigned me to cover the City of Hope Apartment Community. Officer Padgett was reassigned."

"Please, call me Bella." She corrected. "My grandmother is the only woman in my family who answers to Ma'am."

The smile she gave him then opened up her face as she shifted her weight slightly on one hip and shook her head. She was wearing a navy blue, slim fitting business suit and navy pumps, but she didn't look studious at all. She was ravishing.

"Protocol requires I use a bit of decorum, Ms. Swan." Edward refused to allow her to unnerve him like this. He was going to be the consummate professional.

"Alright, Officer Cullen. Hope you're better at this than Officer Padgett," she chided. "He was extremely non-responsive!"

Damn, she was not going to play nice. "As this is _my_ assignment, you can be sure _I_ will be responsive."

He thought he might drown in her dark chocolate brown eyes until she snapped him out of his reverie with a polite gesture.

"Have a seat, Officer Cullen." She moved her laptop and briefcase onto her desk. He sat in the chair offered, careful to continue humming Taps. She sat in the chair behind her desk looking at him expectantly.

"It might be helpful if you gave me an overview on what you do here," he said sincerely. "I know that this area is rough, to say the least. I was previously assigned to a precinct in Killearn."

Bella smiled, "You're not in Killearn anymore, Officer Cullen." Her chocolate eyes became compassionate as she gave him a brief rundown of the demographics of the Community Center and Apartment Complex.

"So, you flying solo today?" Edward had to ask. She was entirely too beautiful to be in a place like this on her own.

"The volunteers will be here in about fifteen minutes. They usually get here just before the children arrive." She opened her laptop bag and slid the laptop onto her desk.

Edward was relieved. "That's good. You can never be too careful, Ms. Swan."

She flashed him her brilliant smile again. "I'm sure I'll have nothing to worry about, now that you're here, Officer Cullen."

~888~

Edward was determined as he walked away from the Center, Ms. Swan would see responsiveness, and he'd make damned sure of that!

"Why so angry, cuz?"

He'd recognize that cute little voice anywhere.

"Alice, what the…ummpf?" The little pixie rammed into him so fast it took the breath out of him for a second. "Careful now. I'm armed, you know."

"Yeah, sorry. Wouldn't want to accidentally shoot you in the foot, Edward. What are you doing here?"

"I've been assigned to this community. I just introduced myself to the Director."

"Bella's great isn't she?"

Edward looked quizzically at his cousin, "Uh, yeah, I guess so…"

"This is where I've been volunteering for almost a year, remember?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it." His talkie squawked. "Hey, I gotta get this. Talk to you later?"

"We're done at five-thirty. Meet us in the lot!" Alice scurried toward the Center.

Edward wanted to ask, "Who is us?" but she was in the door before he could do so. He answered the call from dispatch and began his patrol of the City of Hope Apartment Community. Each time he completed a perimeter sweep, he would pointedly drive back into the lot at the Community Center to make sure that all was well there. Now that his cousin was also there with the exotic Ms. Swan, he wanted to make sure they were okay or so he kept telling himself.

On his first day of duty, Edward found a homeless man sleeping in the plastic toy house on the playground. He directed the unfortunate fellow to the homeless shelter downtown and Edward advised the man that he did not want to find him sleeping on the playground anymore. There were also a couple of sixth graders who had ditched school for the first time and were wandering around the Apartment Complex. He took them both home to their mothers and one received a thrashing while he was there. Edward stopped the mom from beating the kid senseless with her house slipper and let her know that corporal punishment was okay as long as she used something more appropriate than a house slipper and didn't maim or harm the child in any way. Between all these incidents, he kept stealing glances at Ms. Swan in that killer blue suit.

The highlight of his day was catching some teens with a few rocks of crack in their pockets. He called for backup and two units responded, one bearing a couple of his favorite colleagues, Seth Clearwater and Rosalie Hale. He had known Rosalie a lot longer than he'd known Seth, but they were good friends now as well. Rosalie was engaged to one of his best friends, so she had become his friend by default. Rosalie was beautiful, and had he met her while he was in the Marines or in Terre Haute, he might have tapped that, but she was too high-maintenance for his taste and extremely vain. Emmett McCarty, Rose's fiancé, was one of his best friends, and he would never mess around with his friend's girl. They had known one another since grade school and had kept in touch even when Edward moved away while they were in High School. Now that he was back in the area, he and Emmett had picked up where they left off. Emmett had gone to college at FSU and played football for coach Bowden. An injury in his junior year kept him from going pro. He had been hired by the Leon County Sheriff's Department right out of college and was now a Resource Officer for one of the local High Schools.

"Officer Hale, Officer Clearwater," Edward greeted them each with a smile as they ambled toward him.

"What you got, Officer Cullen?" Rosalie was always ready to bust some balls.

"Three teens, possession, intent to distribute. The youngest one had one rock on him. The older two had about a dozen each. Haven't gotten them to tell me who they got the stuff from, yet."

Rosalie and Seth approached the three boys who were assuming the position on the side of Edward's cruiser. They handcuffed them soundly and put the three of them into separate squad cars.

"We'll see you back at the precinct," Seth said. Rosalie saluted him playfully and they were gone.

Edward escorted the youngest one in his car, and carried the bagged evidence as well. He would take him in and be back shortly, but he couldn't resist taking another look into the Center windows. Ms. Swan's brown eyes were taking in the scene. Alice looked from her to him and grinned a little impishly. Edward sighed heavily, hopped into his cruiser and took off.

**BPOV**

Bella found herself oddly distracted today, which was extremely unusual. This had not occurred once in the year she had been managing the center. She was always careful to be attentive, kind and patient while remaining firm with the children because she knew that their home lives were inconsistent. She found herself watching Officer Cullen cover the grounds as she and the volunteers tutored the children in reading and math.

Alice kept looking from her to the window, and questioning Bella with her eyes. She grinned sheepishly at Alice and tried to concentrate on the children and what was going on in the room, but it was becoming increasingly more and more difficult to do so. The bronze-haired Adonis outside had her mesmerized.

When Bella looked out at Officer Cullen again, she observed a couple of teenagers and a slightly younger boy in the trademark sagging pants with underwear showing, being stopped by Officer Cullen and having their pockets emptied. Backup units were called and there was activity in the parking lot for more than an hour. She noticed Officer Cullen had a nice smile, specifically for a tall, gorgeous, blonde, female officer who responded to the call.

"That would be more his speed!" Bella snorted inelegantly under her breath and turned away from the spectacle outside. She retreated into her office to calm down and begin her daily reports.

_Bella, you are covetous and jealous over someone you just met, she scolded herself. Get a grip!_

She was standing in front of the chair of her desk, when a spiky-haired, diminutive brunette poked her head in the door.

"Got a minute, Boss?" Alice chirped, and bounded into the room and closed the door before Bella could answer.

Bella smirked, readying herself for the onslaught which was Alice. "Yeah," Bella teased, looking down at her watch. "Sixty-seconds and counting."

Alice pursed her lips, glaring at Bella through squinty eyes. "You can't time what I've got to tell you."

Bella turned her laptop on. "OK, you have my undivided attention until my computer boots up."

"What, half a minute? Bella, I'm so hurt." She slumped into the chair in front of the desk.

Bella relented, "OK, friend. Lay it on me."

Bella could never keep Alice at bay. They had been this way since day one. Alice Whitlock had been volunteering at the Center since Bella began and they had quickly become as thick as thieves. She was a bundle of energy that Bella was drawn to probably because Alice was so very different from herself. While she was reserved, bookish and introverted; Alice was outgoing, lighthearted, fun loving and loud. Bella was conservative in her dress and not prone to draw attention to herself, but Alice was a fashion connoisseur and thrived on the attention of others. Alice was her only married friend. Her husband Jasper was a youth Pastor at Oakdale Church, a sister church to her father's City of Hope. While both Presbyterian churches, Oakdale was a north Tallahassee, predominantly white, mega church and City of Hope was a south Tallahassee, multi-cultural church, seating approximately 700 on a good Sunday. Oakdale and City of Hope worshipped together a couple of times a year and partnered together in quite a few ministry endeavors. This is how Bella met Alice and Jasper.

"Bella," Alice put on her serious face. "You remember what I said to you when we first met, right?"

"Alice, you said a lot of stuff to me when we met. Can you be a little more specific?"

"You know, I told you that God would show you who your husband would be later this year, remember?

"You're worse than my mom. I haven't been on a date in six months. There is no husband on the horizon for me, so…"

"Yes, there is. I've seen it."

"Really!" Bella rolled her eyes dismissively.

"Don't you be sassing me, Missy!"

"Alice, come on, you don't do the southern belle thing very well at all."

"Seriously, Bella. As God is my witness, your man is here. I don't know why it took me so long to see, I guess it's because he is not your conventional kind of guy."

"How's that?"

"Well…he's not your usual type. But I promise he's worth it, even though he doesn't know it yet."

"What is that supposed to mean? Is he like a Russian midget with self-esteem issues?"

"No, he's a really good looking guy. And, he's kinda related to me."

"I thought all your relatives were in Washington State." Bella's eyes widened. "Don't tell me he's that man-whore cousin who just moved back to Wakulla County a few months ago?"

"Edward has been known to like the ladies, don't get me wrong, but he's not really a man-whore. Now Edward, Sr. was until he settled down with his second wife."

"Ladies man…man-whore, I don't think I'm interested, Alice."

"I think you are, Bella. In fact, I saw you looking at him just a little while ago."

Bella flopped down into her desk chair, flabbergasted.

"Officer Cullen is your cousin?"

Alice nodded almost apologetically.

Bella felt like she was beginning to hyperventilate. Alice came around the desk and began massaging Bella's shoulders.

"Breathe, Bella."

Bella found her voice again. "But Alice, he's beautiful and so out of my league. Not to mention he probably already has a girlfriend. Does he go to your church?"

Alice twirled Bella around in the chair and looked at her sternly.

"You are beautiful inside and out and don't you believe anybody who tells you any differently. You're a mutt, Bella. And mutts are always beautiful."

"Okay, so I'm not homely and totally un-dateable, I'll grant you that. But I'm a preacher's kid and I am not the type of girl your cousin is probably used to dating."

"Yeah, my cousin's got some crack-head skank ho who's attached herself to him, Tanya Svengali, or something. She thinks she's a supermodel because she's done some print work and commercials in Atlanta and Orlando. And Edward doesn't go to church…yet."

"See, that right there is a deal breaker, Alice, and you know it. And I definitely can't see myself trying to steal him away from a model."

"Model, schmodel," Alice muttered.

"Anyway, I thought he might have eyes for that blonde Amazonian police officer he was smiling at today."

"Oh no. That's Rosalie. She's Edward's best friend's fiancé."

"So, it's supposed to make me feel better that it's not the blonde he's dating, but the model?"

"Bella, he won't be able to resist you. You'll be like a drug to him."

"In what alternate universe? You haven't told your cousin any of your wild prophecies have you?"

"No, Edward wouldn't receive my gift…"

"Why?"

"It's a long story. Anyways, Edward's meeting us in the parking lot after work and I'm going to ask him to hang out with us tonight."

"Alice!"

"Come on, Bella."

"I'm hanging out with Angela tonight. Her boyfriend, Ben, is going out of town and we don't get to see much of each other anymore."

"What are you guys doing?"

"We're going to Café' Cabernet with the young professionals from church."

"Jazz and I love that place. We'll bring Edward by there later, then, Okay?"

Bella chewed off the last vestiges of her lip-gloss.

"He probably thinks I'm a loser who can't get a date. I won't be a charity date, Alice."

"Believe me, he doesn't look at you like you were a charity anything."

"Was he really… you know, looking at me?"

"Yeah, every time you weren't looking at him."

"I was not…" Bella couldn't lie. "Okay, I was looking at him." She hung her head in shame. "He's just so pretty, Alice. I don't think God will get me for looking."

Alice patted the top of her friend's head. "No, Bella, I don't think God will get you for that."

~888~

Officer Cullen was true to his word, he was nothing if not responsive. There had been more concern shown and activity on the grounds than Bella had seen in the year that Officer Padgett had been their liaison. Edward Cullen would be described by Angela as "hot!" He looked to be about 6'2", approximately 180 pounds and was physically very fit with natural muscle, not that over-bloated "Johnny Bravo" look, but very toned, which helped him wear his uniform as if it were tailor made. There was no policeman's donut or beer belly that you saw on some of the cops around Tallahassee. In fact, she would bet that he had a six or eight pack underneath his dark blues.

Edward Cullen looked like he might have been the golden boy in High School, lettered in several sports, and part of the uber-popular crowd to boot. Bella had never been quite this taken with a Caucasian man before in real life. Most of the guys she dated had been either African American or biracial, with an occasional blonde or brunette hottie who traveled in their circles. And yes, she sometimes even ogled movie stars like Channing Tatum, Colin Farrell, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, but never had she been this smitten with an honest to goodness white boy in her own home town. Bella was not prejudiced but had dated firmly within her comfort zone and exclusively guys who were unapologetically Christian.

Bella was giving snacks to the children when they were preparing to leave and was saying goodbye to each one personally when Danae, one of her favorite first graders, got her attention.

"Ms. Bella," Danae sing-songed her name.

"Yes, Danae," Bella answered sweetly, looking down at her charge.

"What's that police man keep looking in here for?"

Bella looked out the window to see Officer Cullen, now wearing a pair of black aviators, arms folded across his chest, leaning on his cruiser, looking in her general direction.

She looked down at Danae again. "He's probably just making sure you kids get home okay" Bella tweaked Danae's little nose. "You go on home to your Mama, now." Danae skipped out the door, her little beaded French braids making their own music. When Danae got closer to Officer Cullen, she looked up at him and slowed down becoming almost entranced at how tall he was. He said something to her and she stopped. Bella would have loved to hear that conversation.

When all the kids were gone, she and the volunteers made quick work of tidying up the center, Bella armed the alarm system and they all left together as they characteristically did. Alice headed directly to the cruiser to talk to her cousin. Bella lagged behind and hoped to get into her car and away before Alice realized she was gone.

Officer Cullen greeted Alice almost as enthusiastically as she had him. The throaty chuckle he had for his cousin made Bella smile.

Bella overhead him ask incredulously, "So, that's the friend you've been wanting me to meet, Alice?"

Why was Alice doing this to them when she knew it wouldn't come to anything, and if it did, it couldn't end well. Bella tuned out their muffled whispers and said one last goodbye to the volunteers and clicked the keyless entry to her red Mazda 6 parked next to Cullen's cruiser. She quickly busied herself putting her things in the backseat and was about to slide into her car when she heard his velvety drawl calling her name.

"Ms. Swan!"

If he insisted on continuing with the formalities, so could she. "Yes, Officer Cullen." Bella slowly turned around and looked up into his emerald eyes. His sudden proximity totally disarmed her.

"Call her Bella, Edward. We all do." Alice was holding onto his arm and giggling like a fiend.

"Bella," he said softly, but it felt like a caress. Then he got all businesslike again. "One of the young men we detained today was a seventh grader…Kwame Jones. He had one rock in his pocket, which was considerably less than his friends, but he admitted they were selling for a local dealer. It's a first offense, so he'll probably get mandatory drug education and community service. He says he used to come to the Center. If we funnel him back through, can you take him?"

"Absolutely," Bella said without having to think twice about it. She was pleasantly surprised that for a young cop, Officer Cullen did not seem anxious to send all the kids to juvenile detention. He was sincerely compassionate and willing to give a second chance where justified.

Officer Cullen smiled widely and Bella was amazed at how much younger just a smile made him look.

"So, this is the deal," Alice said talking fast. "Bella's meeting some friends at Café Cabernet tonight, so I thought maybe you, Jazz and I could meet her there later, Edward."

"I'm off at seven," he smiled a crooked smile that made Bella want to swoon like a southern belle. "I could meet you guys there around eight."

"Sounds great!" Alice squealed. "It'll be fun."

Edward's radio crackled with a litany of information, the dispatcher asking for responders. He sprinted around to the driver's side of his squad car.

"See you ladies at Café. Domestic situation around the corner," he said by way of explanation, and slid into the driver's seat. He hit his lights and backed away before she or Alice could respond. He hesitated a couple of seconds until they got into their cars, then he blared his siren and sped away when they were each safely inside their vehicles.

~888~

**A/N: My Bella is not overtly clumsy and has some rhythm which she inherited from her African American roots. She is somewhat shy with men, especially because she has lived a very sheltered life. And although she doesn't seek the limelight, she is not afraid to speak or sing in front of a crowd, since she did so growing up in church. She also has a bit of a swagger of confidence, because she is a strong woman.**

**"Taps" **Story and Lyrics on my Profile. http://mydothomewithgoddotcom/lanell/TAPSdothtml

**Tallahassee****'s Finest** – City of Tallahassee Police Department, or TPD as we affectionately call them. Their motto is "Trust, Loyalty, Commitment" hence the title of this story!

**Down-low** is a slang term that refers generically to keeping something private. Use of "Down-low" to refer to closeted homosexuality evolved from the earlier use (as in "keep it on the down-low"). More recently it has been used to describe the behavior of men who have sex with other men, as well as with women, but who do not identify as gay or bisexual. The term has its origins in African American slang but such behavior is not exclusive to that group.

**_Johnny Bravo_** is an American animated series created by Van Partible. It premiered on July 7, 1997 on Cartoon Network and ran for 67 episodes and 4 seasons. The series originally lasted for 12 1997 episodes and a half hour's worth of original pilots, was renewed in 1999 and officially ended in 2004.

**Bella's Promise Ring** link on my Profile: http://wwwdotoverstockdotcom/Jewelry-Watches/10k-White-Gold-Diamond-Interlocking-Hearts-Ring-H-I-I1-I2/3254338/productdothtml


	3. Ch 2 TLC: A Commitment Is A Promise

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I am just living vicariously through them.

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

" **Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires**.**."**

– **Song of Songs 3:5**

**Chapter 2 –TLC: A Commitment Is A Promise**

**BPOV**

"So, you fell for a copper-haired cop today?" Angela teased. She was sitting on a chair in front of Bella's dresser, trying on earrings. Bella was lying flat on her back on the bed with her legs dangling off the edge, staring at the ceiling.

"No," Bella was adamant. "I said I met a copper-haired cop that I thought was attractive."

"Bella, you haven't gone into this much detail about a guy since our senior year in high school. Edward must have made an impression."

"He's like a freaking Abercrombie ad in a police officer's uniform. He's so perfect." Bella absently played with a curl of her hair.

"Does he have a twin?"

"What about Ben?"

"Ben may like it, but he hasn't put a ring on it...yet." Angela did a couple of steps from the Beyonce video as she said this.

Bella raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What? Are you like a Maltese Beyonce or something?"

"Yeah, I'm her twin. See my bling…hey do these earrings look okay with this outfit?" She grabbed a dress off the back of the chair and held the dress in front her.

Bella rose up on both elbows. "Looks good to me."

"So when are you gonna see Officer Hottie McHotness again?"

"Alice is bringing him over to Café after our young professionals' fellowship time tonight."

"Really. So Alice knows him?"

"Yeah, they're cousins." Bella was nonchalant.

"Random." Angela discarded the dress she held up before and admired another one.

"Tell me about it," Bella said dryly. She sat up.

"So what? Is she playing matchmaker with you two?"

"You know Alice. She's got it into her head that he's, you know…the one." Bella stood and walked into her closet and started rummaging through listlessly, trying to find something to wear.

"For reals? Then you're screwed."

She walked back out of the closet and looked pointed at Angela. "No. His relationship status is iffy, and he definitely doesn't meet any of my faith standards. I'm just doing this because Alice is, you know, Alice, and she wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much!" Angela pointedly looked at Bella and dabbed a little cologne on her wrist.

Bella glowered at her sister/friend. "Don't go quoting Shakespeare on me, Ange. We'd better get ready if we're going to meet everybody at six. That gives us only one hour of 'happy hour.'"

~888~

Angela drove them from Bella's apartment in Southwood to the Café on North Monroe. Parking was always dicey at happy hour, but they finally found a little nook in which to park Angela's green Honda Civic. Angela, an olive-skinned Mediterranean beauty from Malta, always took people, especially men, by surprise. She was as graceful as a runway model, and at 5'9" was approximately four inches taller than Bella without heels. Tonight was a rare night; Angela wore heels because she wasn't with Ben. He was a couple of inches shorter than Angela in flats. Angela was wearing a BCBG silk tank dress in aquamarine. Bella wore a magenta jersey dress by Nicole Miller that was perfect for her coloring.

When they glided into Café they got quite a few appreciative looks from the beauty aficionados in the room, and envious glances from the insecure females in the room. They found their group quickly and joined a table that was already filling up with young professionals from City of Hope Church.

Bella and Angela became immersed in fellowshipping with their friends and enjoying a nice gourmet meal replete with fine wine and decadent desserts. When they finished their meals, they moved into the lounge where live entertainment and dancing were in full swing. A local band, The Sphinx Rattlers were playing. A bunch of the young professionals crowded onto the dance floor to dance off the rich calories they had consumed.

Jacob Black pulled Bella onto the dance floor with him. He was tall and muscular with hair the color of raven's wings. His family had a strong Native American heritage, which was evident in his features. Bella reluctantly admitted that she'd had a crush on him when they were younger, so maybe she was just as naive as her mom had been with men in the beginning. However, Jacob had alluded to his preferences when they'd gone on the disastrous date her mother had orchestrated, and they had come out of it as good friends.

Bella loved dancing with Jacob, who had been a drum major at FAMU and was a great dancer. He made her look good on the dance floor. They danced through several numbers until Bella finally looked up and saw Alice, Jasper and Edward in a corner booth. Alice and Jasper were snuggling on one side, and Edward was sprawled on the other side watching her dance. Bella was thankful for the dim lighting in the room because she could feel the blood pooling into her face.

She leaned over to Jake to speak over the loud music. "Hey, I gotta go, some friends I promised to meet tonight are here."

"Bells, let's finish this last jam, K?" Jacob didn't wait for a reply. He took her arm and twirled her around. Bella danced with him until the song ended and made a beeline for the table where Angela was sitting.

"I'm joining my other party now. You good, Ange?" Bella grabbed her purse.

Angela held her drink high. "I'm good, girlfriend. I've appointed Jacob as my designated driver."

"Good deal. Hey, make him dance with you. He's like the Energizer Bunny tonight."

"I know, right. I saw him out there looking like he was choreographing the Grammy Awards or something."

Bella laughed. "That's Jake. You gotta love him."

"Hey, can you give me and Ben a ride to the airport Saturday morning?"

"That's, right. Ben is going home with you to Malta for your annual summer visit. Sure, I can drop you guys off. Are you nervous to have him meeting the family for the first time?"

"I'm not, but he's been agonizing over it." Angela frowned.

"I'll call you tomorrow and we can dish about that over lunch, okay?"

"I saw cop copper-hair over there with Alice and her husband. Go on. You know you wanna," Angela teased.

Bella snorted, "You're damn skippy, girlfriend."

Angela's cell phone lit up and began a vibrating dance on the table.

Bella smiled at her. "And tell Ben 'Hi' for me." Angela had the phone to her ear before Bella turned to walk away.

Edward's green eyes drank in her form as she approached the booth. Bella felt like she was walking to a sentencing. She tried not to show any signs of nervousness, but she couldn't help but pull one side of her bottom lip between her teeth as she stared helplessly back at the emerald-eyed god who slowly unfolded his frame from the booth to allow her to sit down. His bronze hair was wild and sexy as ever, even though it looked like he'd tried to tame it with a bit of hair product. He was wearing a pair of slim black slacks and a green linen button down, sleeves rolled up, with a couple of buttons open at the top.

Edward touched the small of her back briefly and leaned in to speak to her.

"I thought I was gonna have to cut in there for a minute." His warm breath tickled her ear and neck, smelling of cinnamon and tequila.

"Why didn't you?" Bella challenged. She slid into the booth, taking note that he was smiling that little crooked smile of his again. Alice came out from under her Jasper spell at that moment.

"Bella!" Her squeal was deafening.

"Alice, chill. We just saw each other three hours ago." Bella rolled her eyes playfully. "Hey Jasper."

"Hi Bella," Jasper smiled. "Good to see you as always." He was so Zen. Bella guessed that he had to be with such a high-strung bride. Edward slid in next to her and Bella flicked her mahogany hair back so she could look at the hotness unhindered.

"Let me guess. You're wearing Nicole Miller, right?" Leave it to Alice to make a game of guessing designers. "Great choice!"

"Um, thanks." Bella tried in vain to beat back the blush.

"So, Bella what's your poison?" Edward's velvet voice was tickling her ear again.

"You guys are having tequila, right?"

"You know it." Alice took her shot glass and downed it.

Bella laughed. "I guess I need to catch up, then." Edward was already signaling the waitress who was all too happy to take an order from him. Edward quickly made the order and turned back to Bella.

"I didn't cut in because your dance partner seemed…rather harmless," he said smoothly.

"How's that?" Bella challenged. She hoped she wasn't coming across as such, but she was nervous as a cat in a dog kennel.

"Let's just say, he was more into the dancing than you."

"Perceptive, Officer Cullen."

"I'm off duty, Bella. Edward would be in order," he smirked.

"Well, Edward, I've known Jacob since kindergarten. He's like a brother to me."

"You mean sister, right?" He smiled that crooked smile of his again.

"And he tries so hard not to come across as a flaming queen," Bella said wryly. "Just don't mention your observations to Captain Black. Jake isn't overt about his lifestyle with his family."

"His secret's safe with me." He smirked, and then leaned in so close their noses were mere inches away from one another. "I don't begrudge him his sexual preference. But if I were dancing with you in _that_ dress, I wouldn't be able to keep my eyes, or my hands, off you, Bella."

_Holy shit, he is smoking hot!_ _Lordy, Lordy please forgive my language._

Bella attempted a quick recovery. "And what would your girlfriend say about that, Edward?"

"I've been dating someone for about a month, but I wouldn't call her my girlfriend."

"Oh really. Does she know this?"

He put his hand over his heart in mock incredulity. "Do I look like the kind of guy who would lead a girl on?"

Bella laughed, looking boldly into his green eyes. "You look like the kind of guy that a girl might want to lead her on."

The waitress delivered their drinks, then. She placed eight tequila shots and limes all around. The waitress addressed Edward.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?"

Edward didn't look up at her, but seemed to be mesmerized by the pulse throbbing in Bella's neck. "No thanks. I have everything I need right here."

Bella looked over at Alice and Jasper who had wide smiles on their faces.

"I think it's time we made some toasts, friends." Jasper picked up the salt shaker. "I used to do these off my wife's belly button when we are in college, but for the sake of propriety, I think we'll go with an arm tonight." He licked the inside of Alice's left arm and sprinkled a little salt there. Alice giggled. "To new friendships!" Jasper licked the salt from Alice's arm, downed the shot and she pressed a lime into his waiting mouth.

"Here, here." Bella and Edward said almost in unison. They salted the backs of their own hands and knocked back their shots. Bella was happy to feel the tequila and salt burning down the back of her throat. She hoped that it would quell the almost animal attraction she had for the man sitting next to her. Across the table, Alice and Jasper had gone back into PDA mode. She looked under her lashes at Edward again. He was unabashedly looking at her.

"So, Bella. How does a girl from Tallahassee come by such a unique name?"

Bella smiled. "It's actually Isabella, but I have always preferred Bella. My parents named me after the Latina nurse who took care of my Mom when she was in the hospital with me. I was a rather difficult birth."

"So, neither of your parents is Italian. Then you're an exquisite mixture of Caucasian and something else?"

"Yeah, my Dad's ancestors are all pale Europeans and my Mom's a rather pale African American, who has a little of everything in her lineage."

"I was half right then."

"So, you speculate about people's ethnicities and sexual preferences?"

"I kind of picked up that trick as an occupational skill."

"You're a man of many talents, Edward Cullen."

"I'd like to think so."

"What are some of your other talents?"

"I play two instruments, piano and guitar. I'm an expert marksman. I played soccer in high school, so I help coach a soccer team with my friend, Emmett. What about you, Isabella Swan?"

"If you want me to answer, you'd better call me Bella."

"I like Isabella. It's kind of regal."

Bella snorted. "I am the most non-regal person I know. However, my talents include singing, which I've done since I was five...you know church choir. I was also a gymnast all the way through college. I teach some of the girls at the center some rudimentary tumbling and cheerleading. We don't have the equipment for a formal gym. I am a lover of classic literature and contemporary literature."

"Such diverse talent managing an after school center?"

"I was an elementary education minor, so I took the job at the center for what I thought would be a temporary job until I went back to graduate school. Then my Nana got sick when I came home from Spelman, so I didn't go on to Howard last fall to complete my Masters in English Lit, as planned. However, I designed a new curriculum for the program at the Center and the children became very important to me, then the Board offered me the position permanently, so I opted to stay on."

"The kids love you." He smiled that crooked smile again.

"How would you know that after one day?"

"I read minds." Edward's green eyes seemed to twinkle.

"Oh really?"

"Actually, little Danae was very informative when I got her to talkin'."

At that moment, the band took the music down to a slow cover of "My Immortal" by Evanescence. Edward slid out of the booth and extended his hand to Bella.

"Dance?"

Bella took his hand in reply, too afraid she would croak like a frog, or snort like a pig if she answered him audibly. She was sure she was probably several shades of red now. Edward's hand felt a few degrees cooler than her own, and she took it like it was an oasis in the middle of a scorching desert. Through the curtain of her hair, she saw that Jasper and Alice got up and headed to the dance floor, too.

Edward took her effortlessly into his arms, molding her small frame to his own.

_Oh God! He feels and smells heavenly._

Usually these slow dances were torture for Bella. The guy was either not very good at it, or she wasn't, and it often made her feel like she was dancing with an octopus, but Edward was quite an exceptional dancer. He was true to what he'd said earlier. His hands caressed every inch of her back as he skillfully maneuvered her in the most sensual dance she had ever been a partner of. She relaxed and laid her head on his chest, her own hands exploring the muscles rippling on his back. Bella sighed, letting out a breath that rivaled the one Whitney Houston expelled in "Waiting to Exhale" when she thought she'd found the one.

He leaned down to speak about halfway through the song and she wound her arms around his neck and looked up into those beautiful pools of green. They were so close, it was as if they were one from the torso down. She felt every muscle and sinew as they moved together.

"Now, had your friend Jacob been dancing with you like this, I might have had a duel on my hands tonight."

"And being the expert marksman that you are, that would hardly have been fair, now would it?" Bella smiled sweetly, goading him.

"Touché." He thought for a second and then smiled showing perfectly even white teeth. "Maybe I could've challenged him to a dance-off then."

Bella laughed. "Good luck with that. Jacob was a drum major at FAMU. He would've wiped the floor with you."

"Somehow, I truly believe that." He grinned sheepishly and pulled her close to his chest again.

Bella tried to fight it, but she was having a powerful physical reaction to the sexiness that was this man. Her nipples hardened of their own volition and strained against the two layers of fabric that enclosed them. His arms tightened around her almost involuntarily and hers responded likewise. The warmth that she recognized as arousal from the dreams she'd be having for the past several months began to ooze from her center and seep through every fiber of her being. There was evidence that he was having just as powerful a reaction as she was. She didn't allow herself to care at that moment, because being in his arms felt so right. It was like the dream had come true and he was here in the flesh. His hands played a symphony on her back, and she was his willing instrument.

When the song ended, he held her hand in his and they headed back towards the booth, but Alice had other plans. She grabbed Bella's hand.

"Let her go, Edward. We're going to the Ladies room!"

Edward chuckled release Bella's hand and held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Don't let me be the one to deter the communal bathroom break."

Bella almost had to run to keep up with Alice.

"Where's the fire, Alice?"

They were in the Ladies room before Alice would answer her.

"So, how's it going?"

"Alice, he's smooth, I'll give him that. He was kinda non-committal on the crack-head skank ho girlfriend though."

"But how do you feel, Bella?"

"Like I could push him back into that booth and have my way with him." Bella's eyes danced mischeviously.

Alice smirked, "Feel like handing in the old V-card, eh?"

"I wouldn't go that far, but there's so much other stuff we could sample on the way to that appointment..." Bella became momentarily lost in a tailor made fantasy featuring herself and one Edward Cullen.

"Naughty Bella! What did you do with my virginal friend?"

"She's still in here somewhere." Bella fanned herself with her hand. "So, we might as well use these facilities now that we're here. I don't know about you Alice, but I think I really need to freshen up." Bella went into the first stall she came to and closed the door.

Alice squealed and found an empty stall, too.

~888~

**EPOV**

Edward watched Bella until Alice pulled her around the corner. Her legs were perfect and there were no words to describe that ass. She still had that tight little gymnast's body, and from what his hands felt through the soft fabric of her dress, she had an abundance of womanly softness in all the right places. He was damn glad they were in a booth because he really had to adjust himself bad before she came back.

Jasper was giving him one of those Zen-shit smiles when he sat down.

"What?" He chuckled in spite of himself.

"You're really feeling our little Bella, huh?"

"She's great, Jazz. But, you know, she deserves something better than the Cullen bullshit."

"It doesn't have to be like that, man. It's a choice. You don't have to give in to the legacy that Edward, Sr. left for you."

Edward stiffened, his emerald eyes darkened to a shade closer to dark jade. "Now why'd you have to go and mention that motherfucker?" He knocked back another shot.

"Because you let him win every time you choose to follow the pattern of his behavior, Edward. When are you gonna come back into the fold, brother?"

"See, now you sound like Mom. I don't do church anymore, Jazz. You know that."

"Well, that woman in there does church, Edward. Her Dad's a pastor, for goodness sake. She is not looking to be one of your conquests, man." Jasper's own blue eyes grew hard as flint.

"Jasper, she's Alice's friend and I now work with her. I wouldn't do that, man. I'd like to think I'm not a complete asshole."

"Glad to hear it." Jasper's blue eyes grew soft again. "Alice and I love you Edward, and we pray for you all the time. There's hope for you, yet."

"Yeah, yeah." Edward signaled the waitress again.

He felt sick to his core when he realized what Jasper was saying. _Don't fuck with Bella unless you're ready to commit. _

Edward knew commitment in the most regimented of forms, first in the Marines and now on the police force. He did trust, loyalty, and commitment every day while he was on duty, but that never translated for him in relationships. Alice and Bella returned to the table and Edward and Jasper stood to allow them to enter the booth again. Jasper and Alice went into cuddle mode again.

"More shots?" Bella smiled and raised one delicate eyebrow over her dancing brown eyes.

"Yeah." Edward smiled a tight smile that he knew probably didn't reach his eyes. He was going to have to stop the heavy flirting with her and try to be a gentleman, because there was no payoff at the end of this date. No hooking up with the one woman he found more beautiful inside and out than any woman he'd ever met. She was sitting right next to him, flirting and saying all the right things, but he had to put a stop to it, because if things went any further, it would not end well.

"Bella… maybe we should set some...um parameters, here. Uh, we probably shouldn't be anything more than friends. I mean, we do have to work together every day." His mouth was saying the words, but he was regretting every one.

Bella's countenance fell a notch, but she recovered quickly. "I know, right? That could get weird really fast."

"Yeah, who needs the complications?"

She sighed heavily. "Definitely, not me."

~888~

**BPOV**

Bella didn't know what happened while she and Alice had been in the Ladies Room, but the all business Police Officer Edward had come back, and she was clueless as to what brought that on. Had she been too forward, flirted maybe just a little too hard? Had she been mistaken that Edward the sexy, attentive date had ever been there?

_Lord, open up a whole in the floor and let me fall through._

Alice sensed that something wasn't gelling anymore and opened her mouth to say something, but Bella shook her head imperceptibly. Bella grabbed a shot and downed it.

"That's it for me." She announced to no one in particular. "I've got lesson plans to prepare in the morning for the center tomorrow afternoon."

"So, that's what you do before you show up at the center everyday at 2:30?" Edward was trying desperately to engage her in conversation again, and she really didn't want to go, yet.

"Um, yeah. There's a fair amount of preparation that goes into planning the daily activities. I've been introducing the children to Shakespeare and Debussy this semester along with their regular reading and math."

"Ah, Debussy. My favorite impressionist composer."

"Mine, too." Bella smiled in spite of her unease with his apparent about-face. "Hey, you should come in and play for the kids sometime. I play CDs, but I think they would really love to hear some of his music live."

"That can be arranged," he agreed readily.

"I mean, I know you can't do it during the week, so how about we set up a mini concert for them one Saturday afternoon?" Bella twirled her ring nervously on her left hand.

"Well, give me a few weeks to practice before we schedule it, okay?"

"Sure, it's totally your call. How long has it been since you've played?"

"I don't have a piano in my apartment right now, but I get over to Crawfordville to play on my Mom's baby grand every couple of weeks," he said, looking very much like a shy little boy who'd been caught stealing a cookie. Bella felt an overwhelming urge to cup his face in her hands and lay one square onto his ruddy pink lips.

She licked her lips involuntarily. "So, you don't live in Wakulla County anymore, then?"

"No, I moved to Tallahassee when I accepted my position on the force last year." His hand raked through his hair leaving deep furrows in the semi-tamed copper locks.

"And where were you before then?"

"I was living in Terre Haute, Indiana."

"You have family there?" She wanted to get to know as much as she could about this man, even though he'd decided they should be just friends. He wasn't just a man with a power complex who had become a cop, he had so many other talents that he could have explored. There was something intriguing about him and she needed to get to the bottom of it.

"Not in Terre Haute, no. My Dad…he's in Indianapolis."

"So, how'd you end up in Terre Haute, of all places?"

"I went to college there after I got out of the Marines. Indiana State. I didn't want to move back to Indianapolis, and it was as good a place as any to live. I joined the police force there after college."

"So you're a jarhead, eh?" Now she knew why he was so disciplined. However, there also seemed to be something raw and savagely emotional that boiled just beneath the surface.

"OohRah. Semper Fi."

"Has your Mom always lived in Crawfordville?"

"No, we moved there when I was starting middle school, after my parents divorced. But I went back to Indianapolis to live with my Dad when I was fifteen. My mother had a bout with breast cancer last year, so I just moved back here when she got sick."

From the information she'd just found out about him, Bella could only guess at how much crap he had endured in his life. All that traveling between one parent and another and then joining the Marines while the country had troops deployed in the Middle East; that was enough to throw any sane person off kilter.

"Alice mentioned that to me before. How is your mom now?"

"She's a survivor. She participated in the "Walk" for the first time a few months ago." His look was a mixture of pride and apprehension if that were possible.

"That's great. It gives her a great testimonial to share with other women."

"Believe me, she's not shy about sharing testimonials." Definitely sarcastic.

Alice and Jasper slid out to go dance again.

Bella felt like she needed to confront Edward on his abrupt change in demeanor.

She looked him straight in his eyes and threw all caution to the wind.

"What happened, Edward? I take a pee break with your cousin and I come back to a different man. What? Did I kill your mojo, or something?"

His expression went from one of surprise to one of pain. Was he surprised that she'd said "pee break" or "mojo?" He was clearly suffering some anguish and she really wanted to know what it was.

"What is it?" She pressed.

"I'm no good for you, Bella." He muttered raking his hand through his hair.

"What does that mean?"

"I have issues that you really don't want to have to deal with. I am the worst kind of guy you want to be…involved with. Trust me." His green eyes were dark with grief.

"I wish you'd figured that out before this." She gestured wildly with her hands and his eye caught her ring.

"Bella, your faith is paramount in your life. If I'm guessing right, that ring you wear is some kind of commitment you made, a promise. Am I right?"

She absentmindedly fingered the jewelry in question. "Yes, my parents raised me to believe that sexual intercourse between a man and a woman should not happen outside of the marriage bed. It is completely Scriptural and a promise that I intend to keep. That said, I am not some prudish old maid who hasn't rounded a few bases. I reserve the right to take the opportunity to be with anyone I choose. To date and figure out if someone comes anywhere close to being the man who removes this ring. I've been wearing it since I was thirteen. It will only be replaced with a wedding ring."

"I've broken the promise your ring symbolizes too many times to count. The guy who is worthy to replace that ring will, unlike me, be good enough for you, Bella." His eyes were soft, yet resigned.

She smiled ruefully, "The guy who replaces this ring just might have broken promises before, but when he replaces my ring, he will be everything God wants him to be, and everything I will ever want or need."

~888~

**EPOV**

Edward couldn't believe Bella had called him out and made him man-up so thoroughly and explain his actions after Jasper's little commitment talk had left him so rattled. He hadn't had a girlfriend in the purest sense of the word since High School. His sex life had consisted of a string of hook-ups, most lasting no longer than a couple of months. The only hook-up that turned briefly into a relationship had been his shack-up with Victoria back in Terre Haute. She was his precinct captain's sister, so he couldn't fuck that shit up too quickly. She had left him in the end because he wouldn't say the "L" word.

He looked at Bella now, sitting on the passenger side of his Silver Volvo C30, looking out the window as they cruised down Apalachee Parkway headed to her apartment in Southwood. She was a phenomenal woman, so self-possessed, trusting in people, loyal to her faith, and committed to living her life exactly the way her parents had raised her to. He wished he wasn't so fucked up and could really be what she needed. She must have felt his eyes on her because she turned to look at him.

"Thanks for doing this." Her words were polite but she sounded tired. "This was so out of the way for Jasper and Alice."

"No problem at all. I'm on Blairstone, so it's all good."

Bella turned toward him, speculative. "I've been wondering about something."

He glanced at her. "What's that?"

"Were you deployed to Iraq while you were in the Marines?"

"Yeah. Twice actually." He said matter-of-factly.

"Was it as bad as they characterized it in the news reports?" Her brows furrowed, but his eyes were drawn to her beautiful mouth.

"Probably worse than anything you could possibly imagine when it was bad. When it wasn't bad, it was tolerable."

"Why did you choose to go into the Marines over college right out of high school?"

"That is a long story, but I can give you the edited version." Edward couldn't believe he was preparing to tell her anything about his monumentally fucked up life, but he felt like he wanted to tell her everything.

"Okay, I'm listening."

"Have you ever seen the movie 'An Officer and A Gentleman'?'"

"Yeah, it's one of my mom's favorites. Richard Gere and Debra Winger, right?" Her brow arched and she smiled as if surprised that he knew about this movie.

He hoped his look to her said, 'don't ask.' "Do you remember how Mayo and his dad lived before he enlisted?"

"Yeah."

"That was me and my dad, only not in the Philippines," his mouth twisted into a scowl. "I couldn't wait to get the hell away from there, especially after my dad married his most obnoxious girlfriend the year I left. When she went all Potipher's wife on me, I had to get out of there. My dad, the douchebag that he is, didn't believe me when I told him she was more interested in my package than his. I joined the Marines on my 18th birthday. Did two tours and that pretty much decided for me that I didn't want to make it a career. So I got out when I was twenty two, went to Indiana State, got a criminology degree and joined the police force there."

Bella's brown eyes looked glassy with tears, but he couldn't be sure in the darkness.

"You couldn't have come back here to your mom, then?"

"My mother was dealing with her own kind of crazy back then, too. Another long story." He gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Edward, I can't find the words to say how I feel about what happened to you. I can't imagine not having my parents' support. That had to be so difficult for you."

He laughed harshly. "Hey, don't feel sorry for me. I've buried all the demons from my dysfunctional childhood."

"You have accomplished a remarkable amount despite the dysfunction you were subjected to in your family. Your story would inspire the older children at the center."

"I don't know about being inspirational, but I do have life experiences to share. That's one of the reasons why I jumped for this assignment when Padgett so willingly gave it up."

"You asked to be assigned to City of Hope?" Bella looked genuinely surprised.

"Yeah." He really could not see why that was such a big deal.

"Edward, I don't want you to freak out, okay. But, I've just got to tell you. You have incredible gifts that you can use at the Center. You can bless so many people. I really believe that God has a calling on your life."

What was with these church folks and their penchant for telling people's futures? First Jazz, and now Bella. They were worse than Alice. He didn't say anything for a moment.

Bella cringed. "Come on, I asked you not to freak out."

"You haven't seen me freak out, yet." He choked back an almost derisive laugh.

"Okay, new subject, then. Exactly how old are you? I guessed twenty seven?"

"I'll be Twenty eight in June. How about you?"

"Twenty three in September."

They were approaching her apartment on Merchants Row, so Bella gave him the final few directions to her building. He really wasn't ready for her to get out, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out any plausible reason to make her stay. He had to let her go, because if he didn't, he would take her into his arms and kiss her until she was begging him to take that fucking promise ring off.

"Despite everything…I had a really good time." Her smile was brilliant. She reached for the handle to open the car door, and Edward didn't know what suddenly came over him.

"I'll get that." He cut the engine and grabbed his keys almost in one motion, swung quickly out of his door and jogged around to get the door for her.

"Just like Mayo, I think you turned out alright, Ensign Cullen," she smirked.

"Yeah, I had a few Sergeants like Foley kicking my ass." He closed the car door and put a hand in the small of her back to walk her upstairs.

Bella fished her keys out of her purse. "You really don't have to...."

"Humor me. Call it the Police Officer in me, whatever. I'm going to see you safely into your place."

"O—kay."

Edward knew he was prolonging the inevitable. The lure of this woman had him doing all kinds of out of character shit. He'd played Taps in his head almost all night with her. Why in the hell was he walking her to the damn door? She opened the door and turned back to him.

"Want to do a surveillance sweep, or whatever it is you policemen do?"

"If nothing looks weird or out of place to you, I'm good."

Bella laughed and held her arms out to him for a hug. He tried to do it nonchalantly, but he moved quickly and willingly and gathered her tiny womanly softness into his arms. He let her go when he felt her push lightly away from him.

"See you tomorrow, Officer Cullen."

"14:30 hours sharp, Ms. Swan."

She stepped over her threshold and closed the door, locking it behind her.

~888~

A/N:

**Angela** is from Malta, an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily and north of Tunisia, thus the reference of her being a Maltese Beyonce'.

**Beyoncé Giselle Knowles**(born September 4, 1981), best known mononymously as **Beyoncé** (pronounced /biːˈɒnseɪ/), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, choreographer, video director, actress and model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools, and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the girl group Destiny's Child.

**Spelman**** College**is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female institution of higher education to receive its collegiate charter in 1924. It thus holds the distinction of being America's oldest historically black college for women.

**Howard**** University**, a private HBCU, was established by a charter in 1867, and much of its early funding came from endowment, private benefaction, and tuition. An annual congressional appropriation administered by the U.S. Department of Education funds Howard University and Howard University Hospital. It was named for founder Oliver Otis Howard who was commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau and who later served as a president of the school.

**An Officer And A Gentleman (1982)**–An American Movie filmed in 1982, starring Richard Gere and Debra Winger. Zack Mayo is a loner who has never had to rely on anyone but himself. As a child, he was sent to live with his father, a career Navy man based in the Philippines, after his mother commits suicide. There he soon realized that he had to be tough and rely on no one. After graduating from college, he shocks his father by telling him that he has enlisted in the Navy and will enter training as a naval aviator. There he brings the same loner attitude he has had all of his life. He does however meet Paula, an attractive young woman who often attends base functions in the hope of nabbing a young officer and Sid Worley, a classmate with whom he forms a close bond. The training is difficult but not as tough as having to deal with their training officer, Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley who teaches Zack a lesson in the importance of relying on your friends and colleagues.


	4. Ch 3 TLC: Crazy On An Ordinary Day

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I am just living vicariously through them.

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. -- Proverbs 6:16-19**

**__________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 3 – TLC: Crazy On An Ordinary Day**

**BPOV**

_Edward's lips were lighting a trail of tiny brushfires all over her body. Bella arched her back and moaned his name._

_"Oh Edwaarrrddd."_

_She wound her fingers through his hair, holding his head captive as he teased the tip of her left breast with his lips, lightly brushing, and then pulling away. He repeated the same motion with his tongue, giving equal attention to her right breast. Lightly brushing, pulling away. Teasing with his tongue and pulling away. Spasms of pleasure rippled from her chest to her core. _

_Bella felt like she was on the brink of exploding. What was this urgency, this aching that hurt so wonderfully? _

_"So good…so goooood," she crooned. Edward moved over her then, replacing his lips with his hands, careful not to place all of his weight on her smaller frame. She could feel the hardness of him, sliding against her thighs and then pressing insistently against her tummy. He hastily claimed her mouth, his tongue caressing hers and then pulling it into his mouth, sucking it as if it contained a mysterious nectar that he couldn't get enough of. The kiss was so intense it took every bit of breath out of her lungs. When she thought she wouldn't be able to breathe again, he released her mouth and kissed a trail from her lips to her neck, his tongue leaving tiny concentric circles in his wake. When he sucked gently on the most sensitive crevice of her neck, she bucked involuntarily as a warm pool radiated from her center to envelope the aching that wracked her body._

_She cried out her release…Claire de Lune playing insistently in the background._

Claire de Lune? Bella's eyes popped open. Her cell phone was clamoring for her attention.

Bella would annihilate the unfortunate soul who felt compelled to call her at…she peeked over at the clock on her night stand…7:30 a.m. She tried to roll and lean over to reach her cell phone, but her limbs were tangled in her bed sheet, her fingers just inches from the offending phone. She rolled forward, hoping the impetus of her roll would finally allow her to reach it, but she over rotated and fell off the bed in the tangled sheet, her hand bringing the phone to the floor with her.

"Ooompf….Arrrrgghhh!" Bella was sure her neighbors heard her scream. She flipped her phone open angrily.

_Par for the course, Alice._

"If I'd wanted a freakin' wake-up call, I would've made my request last night, Alice. What could you possibly want this early in the morning?"

Bella heard something that sounded like, "Meep," and then silence.

"Alice, I know it's you, I do have caller ID. Now that you've got me awake you might as well talk."

"Sorry to wake you, Bella. I was up with Jazz, you know, doing our quiet time together and when he left for work, I thought it was at least eight o'clock. Forgive me?"

Her pleading was so genuine and so heartfelt, Bella caved. "Yes, Alice." Bella extricated herself from the sheet and sat up, leaning her back against her bed. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to ask how things went with Edward. It looked like you two had great chemistry, but it was so loud at Café last night, I couldn't hear you guys most of the time."

Bella waited a beat. How could she explain to Alice what had transpired when she really didn't quite believe it herself?

"It's funny. When we talked in the ladies room, everything was going great. Better than great. But when we returned to the table, it was like he had changed his mind or something."

"I noticed that. It seemed like you guys smiled and touched a lot more before; then afterward, it was like a light had gone out and you were discussing your tax returns," Alice snorted.

Bella sighed. "I asked him what the deal was and he said we should just be friends because we have to work together, and that he wasn't good enough for me." Bella played with the edge of the sheet. "Alice, I had no idea your cousin had been through so much. What's wrong with his parents?"

"How much did he tell you?"

"He told me about how he and his Dad lived in Indianapolis, but he only said that his Mom was dealing with some kind of craziness…"

"My Uncle Edward Sr. and Aunt Elizabeth divorced when Edward was ten years old. My father's brother is totally different from my Dad in every way, sort of like Esau and Jacob were, you know. Well, Uncle Edward Sr. had always been one to enjoy the excesses of life, but he really went bonkers when my Aunt Elizabeth got involved in a cult."

"Oh, no. You mean an honest to goodness, Jim Jones, don't drink the Kool-Aid, kind of cult?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean, her getting involved in that sect was probably just the straw that broke the camel's back. Edward Sr. was very vocal about his disdain for the Church of the Greater Son, but didn't bother to hide his infidelities anymore after she flatly refused to go back to the Episcopal Church with him. Neither of them was ever the same again. We had been a close family up until the divorce. Bella, my family didn't see Edward after the divorce until he was twenty-two and out of the Marines. We stayed in touch when he was discharged even though he was in Terre Haute and we were in Forks. Then when Aunt Elizabeth got sick, my Dad insisted on moving us here to make sure she was being taken care of. He always felt responsible for Aunt Elizabeth because he introduced her to Uncle Edward many years ago. Aunt Elizabeth wouldn't let any doctor near her but my Dad for a long while and wouldn't let him tell Edward she was sick in the beginning. When surgery became the only option for her, my Dad talked her into letting him call Edward. "

Bella had gotten a lump in her throat just hearing another part of Edward's story. "Wow, that is absolutely unbelievable."

"Tell me about it," Alice said sarcastically. Then she was probing. "Does it turn you off that he has so much…baggage?"

"No, but I think it bothers him. I am not afraid of his baggage; I'm afraid that he might allow his baggage to never give us a chance."

"Bella, if I tell you something else, will you promise not to get mad?"

"What did you do, Alice?"

"_I _didn't _do_ anything. My sweet husband may have done something, though."

"Jasper? What could he possibly have done that would affect me?"

"Promise you won't be mad at him."

"OK, I promise."

"My Jazzy defended your virtue with Edward. He told him that you were looking for Mr. Forever, not Mr. Right now. You were not to be one of his conquests."

"I thought he'd guessed that by my ring, but Jasper actually told him that I was off limits or something?" Bella leaned her head back on the bead in exasperation.

"No, he just told him that you were not to be toyed with and you were the kind of girl who needed commitment."

"That was very sweet of Jasper, but I actually told Edward myself. Alice, you know I never date anyone unless I'm up front with them about who I am. Every man gets the spiel, and if they walk, it's their loss."

"You don't think Edward just decided to walk, do you?"

"Everything in me wants to believe that he's afraid, that he didn't just walk because he knew I wasn't… putting out." Bella tossed the edge of the sheet down agitatedly.

"Don't you dare tell Jasper I told you this, because he told me that I should leave you two alone and let God do His work, but I still see you two together."

"I saw us together, too, about 30 seconds before you called," Bella smirked, the dream sequence running through her mind again.

"You had a sex dream about my cousin?" Alice was incredulous.

"Alice, I'm a real girl. I have sex dreams like any other red-blooded American woman." Bella was smug.

"TMI, Bella. I don't need to see visions of you and Edward doing the vertical Mambo."

"That's just it, we never actually do _it_."

"So, you've had these dreams before? How is that possible? You just met Edward yesterday?"

"I've had a variation of this dream for the last three months, but before last night, I never saw the face of the man, never knew a name. But it was definitely Edward starring in my dream this morning, live and in color."

"Ew."

"And this from a married woman who can't keep her hands off her own husband."

"It's just icky thinking about a relative in that way."

"Not icky for me. Girl, your cousin is one serious gorgeous hunk of man. I will be praying along with your visions that he really is 'the one.' Although I have to be realistic, he kinda' kicked me to the curb last night with his whole 'I'm not worthy, let's just be friends' speech."

"Bella, he took to heart what Jasper said and really doesn't want to hurt you. He's been with women, probably a lot more than you or I want to think about, and I've only known him to keep one for any length of time, but I'll have to let him tell you about that."

"OK, see, now you want to put the brakes on the information. Not cool, Alice."

"I've probably told you too much stuff, already. Anyhoo, you'll be seeing him every day at the Center. I can dress you up in ways that will literally drive him insane."

"That sounds so sneaky and underhanded. Maybe he's happy with the crack-head skank ho. We don't know, Alice."

"Bella, I have seen my cousin with her, and I've seen him with you. She hasn't gotten anywhere near the attention or adoration in one month that you got from him in three hours last night."

"Alice, I'm inclined to agree with your level-headed husband. I think I'm going to let things take their course naturally, and if that doesn't work, maybe it's just not meant to be."

"Perish the thought. You are going to be with my cousin and that's final."

~888~

**EPOV**

Edward was in his shower, water running as hot as he could stand it, ruminating on what a gigantic tool he was.

Tanya was in his bed.

After dropping Bella off he'd checked his cell phone and found that he had several missed calls from her. He had not intended to call her back, but she hadn't given up and texted him about fifteen minutes after he'd gotten home. Far be it for him to turn down an opportunity to get laid. Besides his balls were almost purple from his exposure to la Bella vita, and jerking off in the shower was, to say the least, unappealing. It had been effortless getting Tanya to agree to a late night booty-call. However, he had not bargained on how a simple hookup had morphed into something he didn't even recognize. Usually he could be in the moment, no matter who the flavor of the week or month was. Last night, his two heads had absolutely not been in the same place. He went through all the right motions, but only one head came away happy. Bella was on his mind and under his skin. Tanya had been a placebo for Bella, and that was a first.

He tried to remember if he had ever had such a visceral reaction to a woman before. His memory was either very poor, or was eluding him big time.

However, he couldn't help but be honest with himself. As much as he would like to pursue Bella to see if whatever this thing was he had for her could work, the prospect scared him shitless. He would have to thank Jasper for inadvertently bringing this fact to his attention. Making a play for her would only prove definitively what the marine psychologist and his therapist in Terre Haute had helped him discover about himself: he had abandonment issues that spawned a motherfucker of a commitment phobia which rendered him virtually incapable of forming a lasting bond with a woman. His therapist warned him that until he faced some unfinished bullshit with his parents, it wouldn't get any better.

Hell would freeze over before he would face Edward Sr. again. That bastard owed him an apology and fuck if he would go crawling back to Indianapolis with his tail tucked between his legs to hash out anything with that cocksucker. And forget about having a rational conversation with the first daughter of the Church of the Greater Son. His mother's answer to everything was "demons." Satan's minions were some busy motherfuckers.

Edward dried off and exited the shower, wrapping the towel around his waist. Tanya was face down, spread-eagled on his bed, apparently still dead to the world. He almost felt sorry for her. He had taken her so savagely the first time, he was surprised she hadn't run screaming from his apartment in the middle of the night. She incidentally liked it rough, but his performance last night was a testament to her sexual resilience. He liked to think that he had made it up to her during the second go-round, but that's when that weirdness happened. It was like an Alchemic transmutation had occurred where the base, Tanya, had become the precious, Bella. His second orgasm had been even more powerful than the first. Maybe he wouldn't have to play "Taps" in his head at work today.

_Get a grip, Cullen. Bella is off limits. Deal with it._

~888~

**BPOV**

Bella met Angela at Jasmine's downtown for sushi. This was one of their favorite haunts and they managed to patronize the tiny restaurant at least twice a month. Bella was doing what she did best, listening to her sister's deepest secrets and greatest fears.

"Bella, I 'm used to my Dad. I can shut him down when he goes too far. But Ben is probably right to be nervous about meeting him. He will flaunt Milo in Ben's face and all the money the Stavros family has. If I had been looking to marry Milo, I would have gone back to Malta when I finished the exchange program here."

"Have you discussed this with Ben? I wouldn't let him be blind-sided by your Dad's heavy-handed meddling."

Angela was enthralled at the simple question posed. "Uh…no." She hit her forehead with the heel of her hand, knocking her glasses askew. "I'll talk to him tonight. I guess I didn't want to make him even more nervous than he already was, so I didn't say anything."

"Milo's totally out of the picture as far as you're concerned, right?"

"Yes, he moved on after I told him about Ben last year. But that hasn't stopped my Dad from brining him up at least once every time I call home."

"Well, if Milo's not a willing participant in your Dad's drama, I think Ben will see it for what it is. Especially if he is forewarned."

"I hope I can reassure him that Milo isn't a threat. The Stavros family has been our neighbors all my life, and Ben has seen pictures of Milo. When we became exclusive, Ben couldn't believe I was giving up tall, dark and gorgeous for a vertically challenged nerd. But Ben cherishes me, Bella. He loves me more than Milo ever did. Milo really only loves Milo, and I hear he's found someone who's exactly like him, only she's tall, fair and blonde."

"See, that right there convinces me that Ben will totally receive what you have to tell him. He will thank you when your Dad tries to put his little subterfuge into action."

"Thanks, Bella. I'm so relieved. So how did your date go with…Edward, is it?" Angela asked cautiously.

"Yeah, that." Bella crinkled her nose. "The only way I can describe it is…weird."

"Really?"

"You know how it feels when a guy's feeling you and you're really feeling him and you have this gut reaction that you'll have amazing chemistry? Well, that's how the first part of the date went. Then halfway through, he did a total 180 like that 'He's Just Not That Into You' book guy."

"No he didn't." Angela looked mortified.

"Yes, he did. You know I didn't let him get away with that, right?" Bella grinned deviously.

"You called him out?" Angela asked incredulously.

"Yeah, and he very politely told me that he thought we should just be friends because we have to work together, and that he really wasn't good enough for me." Bella shrugged, her arms bent at the elbows and palms raised to the heavens in a "what gives?" gesture.

"My God, he's worse than Ben was when I told him how I felt about him. He worshipped me from afar, but couldn't believe he had me when he finally got me."

"Edward doesn't have to worship me from afar when he's got a regional supermodel as a fifth appendage." Bella was oddly annoyed by this fact now. "He says she isn't his girlfriend, but I'm sure they know one another in the Biblical sense."

"Ouch. Crappy date," Angela commiserated, popping a piece of sushi in her mouth.

"It doesn't…matter." Bella changed the subject. "So, what time is your flight leaving on Saturday?"

~888~

Bella was always happy to go to the Center, but today she felt an increased anticipation that fluttered in her stomach like butterflies. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't because she would be seeing Edward, because that would be just too lame. He had rejected her, even if it in a rather chivalrous… or cowardly way, depending on how you wanted to look at it. She chose to see the glass as half-full.

Officer Cullen showed up on the property a few seconds after she arrived. He was in full cop mode, but looked friendlier than he had been the day before. He also didn't brandish his cap today and his bronze hair was crazy, sexy wild. She was sure that display yesterday was a formality that satisfied a former military man's desire for pomp and circumstance. The only thing that had been missing in that introduction was a trumpet playing a rousing rendition of Reveille.

Bella smirked as she opened her office door to let him in.

"What?" He asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, I…" The Swan blush reared itself. "I was just thinking about something that happened yesterday."

"Care to share?" That crooked smile almost did her in.

"Not really. Come on in."

He came in and followed her to her desk. She turned her laptop on then tuned to face him again.

She tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes. "So, should I expect Kwame Jones here in the center today?"

"Yeah, if he doesn't show up, let me know and I'll go pick him up." Edward had that determined, all-business cop look again.

"Great. You know, I wondered why he abruptly stopped coming to the afterschool program. He really seemed to enjoy the curriculum, especially the music." Bella was reflective.

"I know all too well why he might have stopped coming around. It's not cool to like classical music when you're thirteen, especially when your peers are pressuring you to do all sorts of things that don't jibe with Debussy, Mozart or Chopin."

"How did you deal with the pressure? I need a guy's perspective here."

"My experience was pretty unique. Crawfordville, being the bastion of the Performing Arts that it is, totally embraced my musical gifts," he grinned mischievously.

Bella laughed. "You are so full of it, Officer Cullen."

"The truth is some of the boys tried to give me a hard time about it, but that didn't happen for long. My friend, Emmett McCarty, who was the biggest of all of us even then, developed a love for classical music too after hearing me play for years. He threatened to beat the crap out of any of the guys who tried to tease me about it."

"I'll try to find Kwame an ally, like Emmett McCarty then." She worried her bottom lip briefly with her teeth. "Thanks for the tip."

"Anytime, Ms. Swan." With that he winked, turned on his heel and headed for the door. "Happy tutoring."

Former gymnast that she was, Bella's heart did a long-hang kip in her chest.

~888~

Despite beginning the aftercare program in a euphoric mood, the day got crazier by the hour for Bella. Alice and the volunteers descended on the Center and she gave them copies of the plans for the rest of the week and the sessions began quite peacefully. Within the first hour, one of her first graders tossed her cookies in the reading circle, making for a messy clean-up session. Mrs. Williams, one of her more matronly volunteers was a lifesaver; she stepped in and got the area clean swiftly and efficiently. Bella and Alice were relieved that Mrs. Williams took charge. Neither of them had ever had to deal with a sick child before. Bella called the child's mother and she came to pick her up within the hour.

Edward made his regular perimeter sweeps and had his fair share of crazy, too. A man in one of the units across from the Center was rushed to the hospital having suffered an apparent stroke. The man's wife flagged Edward and he called an ambulance. Bella couldn't help but smile when she saw how he comforted the elderly woman as her husband was being worked on by the paramedics.

Later, a female resident, who was visibly drunk, staggered into the common area and held court on one of the benches on the playground, bitching and cursing at a companion that was invisible to everyone but herself. Bella didn't want to get the woman in trouble, but she had to call Edward because this woman was a huge distraction for the children.

Hour two found them having to send two pre-teen girls home who had a heated argument over a tube of allegedly stolen lip-gloss. They were suspended for the next day, but could return when they brought a parent with them for a conference where Bella would go over the rules with them again and take them back if they were properly repentant. Alice called Edward this time, and he went with her to escort the two girls home.

If hours one and two had been the preliminary bouts of a prize fight, then hour three was the main event. A fight erupted as one of the other 7th grade boys picked a fight with Kwame Jones. Bella's lone male volunteer, a slightly built man named Sean, tried to separate them, but he was dealing with a couple of boys who were at least equal to his size. Mrs. Williams took Kwame into a corner to give him a talking to so he could cool down. While Sean was holding the more belligerent boy, Bella was trying to diffuse the situation, so he would calm down, too. But the boy wasn't pleased that Sean was restraining him, and he pulled roughly away from Sean, careened into Bella, pushing her roughly to the floor.

Bella wasn't sure how Edward got there so fast, but he was in the room and hauling the boy up against a wall by the scruff of shirt, and looking anxiously to see if Bella was OK all at once. Bella heard Edward saying something about "ending him" through clenched teeth. She had fallen firmly on her butt, and wasn't actually hurt.

Alice rushed over. "Bella, are you alright?

At the same time Edward barked, "Are you OK, Ms. Swan?"

Bella looked up at Alice then over at Edward. "I'm fine." Alice offered her hand and pulled her onto her feet.

"We'll be right back." Edward was pushing the frightened youth out the door with him. His mouth was a tight line and he looked furious.

"Officer Cullen…" Bella's pleading fell on deaf ears. "Alice take over, please." Bella stalked out behind Edward and the boy.

Edward had the young man pinned against the wall and was giving him a stern talking to. Tears were streaming down the boy's face unchecked.

"…and if you ever touch her again, whether it's intentional or not, you will be sorry…" Edward's voice was soft but deadly.

"Officer Cullen," Bella was unnerved, "can I speak to you a minute?"

"Don't move." Edward muttered at the crying boy. He made it to her in what seemed like three long strides. His face softened when he approached her, his green eyes probing. He whispered, "Bella, are you sure you're alright?"

"Edward, I'm fine." She held her arms out for emphasis. "See, nothing's bruised or broken."

His hand came up to cup her cheek and then he abruptly pulled it back, as if suddenly remembering where they were.

"Officer Cullen, you can't go man-handling these children like that. We have an obligation to their parents to keep them safe."

"What about your safety, Bella? That kid's bigger than you are, he could have really hurt you."

"But, he didn't. I took a tumble because I was standing too close when he pulled away from Sean, our volunteer. Marcus, the boy you just jacked up against the wall, picked a fight with Kwame. We were trying to diffuse it when you came barreling in."

"Even so, he shouldn't have been acting out so violently. I could run him in for aggravated assault if Kwame wants to press charges."

"That won't be necessary, Officer Cullen." Bella was exasperated. "Look, you can't just go arresting these children every time we have an altercation in here."

His eyes hardened. "I believe that's my call, Ms. Swan."

Bella was incensed. "Your jurisdiction is out here and the perimeter of this property that you patrol. But I am in charge on the other side of this wall. And you may only enter here at my invitation."

"I beg to differ with you, Ms. Swan. If I believe there is probable cause that a crime is being committed on the other side of that wall, I will enter whether I'm invited or not."

"You're not going to let this go, are you? Her voice was full of frustration.

"No."

"Then I hope you enjoy disappointment." Bella stepped around him to comfort the crying boy against the wall.

~888~

**A/N: Thanks to all you wonderful readers who are, in fact, reading my story. I have had 14 reviews to date, but my story stats show that 400 people have visited the story and are apparently reading because there have been over 700 hits. Please read and even if all you do is say "Hi" or "I hate this about it" or "I love this about it" please leave a review so I can get an accurate gauge as to whether I am improving, or sinking into a dark abyss of mediocrity.**

**If you read this chapter and review, I will send you a sneaky peak of the next chapter many days before it posts. If that doesn't suffice, I'll let you guys interview Copward in the next chapter's Author's Notes and explain anything from this chapter that you didn't understand, 'cause I didn't put any explanations in A/N this time.**

**Come on, review me. You know you wanna'.**

**Love you guys!**


	5. Ch 4 TLC: In Keeping With Repentance

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I am just living vicariously through them.

**A/N: Long-hang kip – The gymnastics move in which Bella described how her heart was reacting to Edward. A long hang-kip is** **swing to a kip, rather than a glide kip. With the long hang kip, the gymnast keeps her legs down and hips open until the leg-lift portion of the kip. Watch one on you tube: .com/watch?v=2a0WBm14i_4**

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. **

**Matthew 3:8**

**The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9**

**__________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 4 – TLC: In Keeping With Repentance**

**BPOV**

Bella could not believe Edward had the audacity to question her judgment and challenge her authority at the Center. She did not build that program into the success it was to have a chauvinistic, egotistical, but _unbelievably sexy_ outsider tell her how to handle the business of running the Center. After fixing herself a serving of pasta and shrimp and a Caesar salad, she settled on the floor in front of her sofa and picked up her well-worn copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ to read and sought to immerse herself in the world of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. But there was no concentration to be found.

She spent the early part of the evening vacillating between reading and fuming over their disagreement and then feeling ambivalent about whether she had reacted too strongly. Shouldn't she be thankful that he was responsive and determined to do a good job? He was only trying to protect her, right? She didn't see herself as some damsel in distress that needed saving and she kind of resented him treating her that way. She had grown up in that community and understood its people; perhaps he did not. However, she had seen him interact with them and he was not rude or overbearing, but seemed as if he really wanted to change the way the residents at City of Hope viewed the TPD.

Maybe her feelings were too subjective. She hoped the objectivity she craved could be found in talking to her Dad. Charlie had been a police chief before he became a pastor. He would know if Officer Cullen's interpretation of his authority was a valid one.

She set her book on the coffee table and grabbed her cell phone. Charlie picked up in a couple of rings.

"Hello." Charlie's rich baritone was comforting.

"Hey Dad." Bella smiled. She hadn't bargained on being so pleased to hear his voice. As a matter of fact, she hadn't talked to him in more than a week because she had gone to church with Alice an Jasper last Sunday and missed seeing him.

"Bells!" Charlie might have been just a little more pleased that she was.

"What's going on, Padre?"

"Just the usual. We just had dinner. Your mom's in her office now, preparing to bring the wrath upon some doomed soul in the courtroom tomorrow. And, I'm watching ESPN trying to glean some profound illustrations from the sports world to use in my next sermon."

"Yeah, right. And I'm entering a convent tomorrow to train to be the next Mother Teresa," Bella said wryly.

"Make fun of me all you want. God gives me some really good stuff when I'm watching sports, especially baseball games. Don't knock it until you've tried it."

"Sure, Dad. I'll get right on that."

"You do that." He chuckled heartily. "So, Renee told me you were good at the Center until you finish your masters."

"Yep, I'll give you two years until I re-assess. Who knows, I might still go on to teach English Literature in the hallowed halls of some yet-to-be-named institution of higher learning."

"And you can do it, kid. You got all your mom's smarts and then some," Charlie said, the pride evident in his voice.

"I'd like to think I got a decent portion of that from my Dad too, together with his loyalty, integrity and compassion."

"You really know how to stroke your old man's ego. So, how's it going at the Center? Is that new community liaison from TPD working out?"

I wondered how he knew about Edward and why he would bring this up. I tentatively said, "I kinda wanted to talk to you about that."

"Is there a problem with. . .uh, Officer Cullen, right? He came highly recommended by Billy Black. Was on the force somewhere in Indiana before he came here, I understand."

"I don't know, Dad. He is 110% better than Officer Padgett was, but we had a difference of opinion today and I'd like to get your take on what happened."

"OK, shoot."

"A couple of 8th-grade boys got into a fight, and we tried to handle it like we usually do, but I was standing a little too close to one of the boys and I got pushed down in the heat of the scuffle. Then Officer Cullen arrived on the scene and was a little more forceful with the kid than I think was necessary."

"Did one of those delinquents hurt you?" Charlie growled. His vehemence was startling. "I told the Board the age limit should have been twelve years old."

"Dad, calm down, you're acting just like Officer Cullen right now. It was an accident."

"Bella, I may be a pastor, but no one messes with my only little girl."

"Dad…" Bella whined in exasperation.

"We probably need to see about getting a couple more male volunteers over there. Some of these thirteen-year-olds are bigger than me."

"That may not be a bad idea, especially if it will keep Officer Cullen out of the Center wreaking havoc. You know he said he could enter the Center anytime he felt there was probable cause that a crime had been committed. Dad, is that true?"

"Well Bells, he is a law enforcement officer and as such, even as community liaison, he retains the right to interpret the law and act accordingly."

"So you're taking his side?"

"If his actions were to keep you safe, then I'm his champion."

"What's it with you law enforcement types? What about our obligation to those children?"

"Officer Cullen didn't physically harm the boy, did he?" Charlie sounded skeptical.

"No. He just grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, threatened to 'end him,' and warned him not to touch me again, or else. I wasn't standing close enough to hear what the 'or else' was."

"Bella, you know as well as I do, many of those children see much worse than that every day. It's unfortunate, but we can't control everything over there. Our duty is to give them a reprieve at the Center, to show them another side of nurturing that they probably don't get at home. But when they act out, we also have a duty to discipline them. Granted, Officer Cullen may have come on a little too strong, but I still can't feel bad about it, not when he was doing it to protect you. I'll guarantee you that boy won't lose his temper around you anymore."

Bella was repentant. "I guess I owe Officer Cullen an apology, then. At the very least I need to say thanks."

"That's the Bella I know and love."

"Thanks, Dad."

"You remember my friend from Seminary, Dan Hall and his wife, Laura? They're gonna be in town this weekend. He's looking at filling the pulpit at the Reformed Baptist Church here in town."

"They're thinking of moving from Atlanta then, huh?"

"Yeah, it's looking good, especially since the church is sweetening the deal by offering their son, James, a position as Music Minister."

"Really? Good for them. I wonder if James is still wearing that pony tail. I met him when I was at Spelman. Rev. and Mrs. Hall had me over for dinner after church quite a few times. James was practically bipolar. He was so stand-offish sometimes; he made me feel like I had leprosy or something. But he just stared at me most of the time."

"He always was a quiet kid, don't judge him too harshly. Dan says he comes alive when he's in front of a congregation leading worship, though."

"He is talented, musically."

"Well, we were hoping you might join us for dinner on Saturday and Sunday for lunch while they're here."

"Angela's going to be out of town, so I was planning to help Alice and Jasper host a youth thing at their house Saturday Night. Sunday's good though."

"Bells, I'd hate for that young man to have to hang around with us old fogeys all night on Saturday. Take him with you. Alice and Jasper would love to have him. He could help with the music and he's no stranger to these types of church functions, so I'm sure he'd enjoy it."

"Alright, Dad. I'll take him, but if he starts acting all weird and stuff, I'm going to bring him right back to you in Nrth Tallahassee."

"Knew I could count on you, Sweetheart. See you Saturday."

~888~

Officer Cullen reported for duty at 2:30 pm exactly, just as he had done the day before, but was immediately accosted by a resident who said she'd had a home invasion sometime during the day between dropping her child off at school and returning from errands a while ago. When Bella pulled into the parking lot, she noted that Edward showed no sign of being angry. However, he seemed a bit apprehensive when he greeted her, somehow sensing that she also wasn't satisfied with the way things had transpired the day before.

"Ms Swan." He was amicable and polite, notwithstanding his apprehension.

"Officer Cullen." Her acknowledgment of him was perfunctory and professional.

Bella left him to take the resident's statement and to do whatever investigating of the apartment's premises he had to do. She would find time to talk to him later. As it turned out, Edward was busy for the first couple of hours he was there, because she didn't see him again until she was working her reports during the last half hour of the day. There was a knock on her office door and she looked up from her laptop to see him standing there, in all his beatific glory, at her office window. She didn't call out, because the children and the volunteers were still in the common area of the center finishing up and the door to the common area was open. She motioned for him to come in and he stepped through the door, searching her eyes as if to get an indication of her current mood.

They both began to speak at the same time.

"Bella…"

"Edward…"

They laughed nervously.

"Ladies first," he said softly.

She took a breath and began. "Edward, I want to thank you for coming to my rescue, so to speak, yesterday. I also want to apologize for misunderstanding your intervention. It is your job to enter the Center if you deem it necessary. Officer Padgett parked in the shade in a vacant lot behind the complex most of the time, and we hardly ever saw him. I…we had gotten so used to handling everything ourselves, we…I didn't know …"

"Bella, I also owe you an apology. I already apologized to Marcus when he arrived today, because even though what he did might have caused you bodily harm, it didn't. He needed discipline, not to have the crap scared out of him by an angry white cop who was totally out of control." The pain in his green eyes was excruciating. "I just feel very protective of you…" And almost as an afterthought, he said, "And Alice."

"We all knew coming in here that this would be a hard place in which to work. What we might endure every day for a few hours a day is a walk in the park compared with what some of these children face every day twenty-four seven."

"You're right. I of all people should know something about that." He cleared his throat nervously. "I'd like to spend some time with Marcus and Kwame, maybe a couple of Saturday mornings a month when I'm off duty, sort of in a big brother role, if that's OK."

"We'd have to get a permission slip signed by a parent, but I don't think that will be a problem. I'll make sure they take one home today." Bella was blown away by his humility.

"Well, guess I'll sweep the perimeter again. I'll be back right before the children are dismissed."

"Still friends?" Bella asked with a smile.

His answering smile was breathtaking. "Still friends."

~888~

The rest of the week flew by. A calmness settled over the community for the next several days. The children were well-behaved. There was a noticeable drop in reportable incidents. Bella and the volunteers were firing on all pistons. Edward fell into the rhythm as liaison. The residents became accustomed to having him around and the behaviors of some of the most notorious hell-raisers changed considerably. The program at the Center became a well-oiled machine.

Saturday morning, Bella arose at an ungodly hour to take her best friend and her boyfriend to Tallahassee Memorial Airport. Even the entrance to the airport seemed to yawn at them as they drove through. Bella hugged Angela and Ben goodbye and drove back to her apartment clutching her Latte like it was a lifejacket. She climbed back in bed when she got home, only to be awakened by another of her non-masturbatory, hyper-orgasmic dreams, starring her favorite bronze-haired demi-god. She immediately took a shower and began cleaning her apartment.

She wondered how Edward's first day with Kwame and Marcus was going. He planned to take them to Meyers Park to shoot some hoops, watch his soccer team practice, and then take them to Wendy's for lunch. She probably didn't need to worry. If the way he dazzled her was any indication of his potent charm, he'd have those boys eating out of his hands in no time.

Her mother called to remind of her of dinner at five with the Halls, and Alice called to remind her to bring baked goodies for the youth tonight and to bring her drink of choice for the adult party later.

"Hey, Alice, I almost forgot. My parents have friends visiting this weekend and they have a son a couple of years older than me. I can bring him, right?"

"As if you even have to ask, Bella."

Bella could feel the epic eye-roll through the phone. "OK, I just didn't want to assume."

"You're helping me with this youth thing. It's the least I can do."

"See you at 6:30ish, then?"

"Yeah, and it should only last about an hour and a half. Our party guests will probably start arriving at about 8:30."

"You are incredible, girl. Leave it to you to plan two events in one night."

"I've got mad hostessing skills."

"OK, mad hostess, see you later."

"Later."

~888~

Bella's parents had moved out of south Tallahassee when her mother's law practice took off, right before Bella had gone to McClay School when she entered 6th grade. They'd had a third home invasion and Charlie had become totally exasperated with cleaning up litter dropped along their street by passersby. Her Dad had been traveling a lot, too, filling other pulpits at the invitation of his wide group of pastor friends. Charlie did not want to leave his family unprotected while he was away so much. He had grappled with moving out of the community where he ministered, but in the end they found the practicality of moving outweighed all his misgivings when Renee required a larger home to entertain clients. They lived in a gated community off McClay road with copious security.

Bella pulled her car into the circular drive in front of her final childhood home at 4:30 pm. There was an SUV parked in front of the garage with Fulton County, Georgia, license plates. The Halls had already arrived. Bella found her key unnecessary as she opened the ten foot oak door to enter her parents' home. Renee had classical music intermingled with the heavenly smell of a home-cooked gourmet meal wafting through the foyer. Bella followed the voices and laughter she heard coming from the kitchen. Her Mom and Laura Hall were almost finished setting the table. Renee saw her first.

"Hello, Lovely." She set a dish down and hurried over to give Bella a hug.

"Hi Mom," Bella took her bottom lip into her mouth, blushing profusely, silently wishing her Mom would dispense with the pet name.

Renee saw the blush when she pulled away. "Oops." She whispered, and then mouthed to Bella only. "I'm sorry."

Bella forced a smile and turned to their guest. "Mrs. Hall," she said in greeting. "It's so good to see you again."

Laura Hall pulled Bella into her arms. "Same here, Bella, and if this weekend goes the way we've been praying it will, you'll be seeing a lot more of us."

"Dad told me about that. I'll be praying towards that end for you guys."

"Thanks, Bella. His will and His timing, right?"

"Right." Bella looked around. "Where are the men?"

Renee rolled her eyes. "Charlie's got them worshipping in front of the flat screen. Do me a favor, Bella. Tell them dinner's served."

"OK." Bella walked through the familiar hallway to the family room.

The men were watching an FSU baseball game.

"Gentlemen, dinner is served," Bella announced without preamble. Six sets of eyes left the flat screen and turned to her. They all stood. "Rev. Hall, James…welcome to Tallahassee. Hello Dad."

They all began walking towards the door where she stood. Rev. Hall got to her first, burying her in a big bear hug. "Good to see you, Bella. Charlie, I think she's gotten even more beautiful since she left our fair city."

"I bet he says that to all the girls," Bella ribbed good naturedly.

"I'll have to agree with Dad," James chimed in. The ponytail was gone. His blonde hair was cut in a short crew gently spiked at the top, and his cool blue eyes were twinkling.

Bella's mouth fell open inelegantly. James swooped in for a hug and Bella was enveloped by his strong arms briefly. She hoped she'd recovered quickly from her surprise that he'd actually paid her a compliment.

"Of course you would agree with him." Charlie quipped, hugging his daughter to his side. "You Halls have always stuck together." Charlie released Bella and led the way to the kitchen. While Rev. Hall and Charlie talked more about the game, Bella and James were giving one another sideways glances.

Bella had always thought he was cute in an angsty kind of way, but this new makeover and this change in demeanor was very new, and quite disarming. What happened to the weirdness that was James two years ago? However, Bella didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe taking him to Alice and Jasper's tonight wouldn't be quite as unpleasant as she thought.

Renee had done an exceptional job on the meal. They began with a Romano Swiss and Parsley Round of Bread with Italian Wedding Soup. The main course was Tuscan style baked salmon with oven-roasted Tuscan style vegetables. Desert was an Amaretto Cheesecake, which Bella politely declined because she'd cheated earlier with some of the cookies she was taking to Alice's. Conversation was warm and friendly. Having sat next to James during the meal, Bella's blush had been almost a constant fixture.

They moved to the sitting room and while their parents were discussing what is was like living in Tallahassee, James joined Bella on the sofa where she was sitting.

"So, what's the social scene like here in Tallahassee, Bella?" His pearly white smile against the tan of his skin was spellbinding.

"Nothing like Atlanta, trust me." Bella suppressed an eye-roll.

"How's that?"

"You did see Tallahassee driving in, right?"

"Yeah, it strikes me as most Capital cities, small town rural dressed up as city slick."

"Dad likes it because it kinds of reminds him of the Pacific Northwest, where he was born, and Renee and I were born here, so it's home. But Tallahassee is definitely nothing like Metropolitan Atlanta."

"There's got to be something to do here though, am I right."

"Well, there's an extremely vibrant college social scene, with FAMU, FSU, TCC and a few specialty colleges, which makes for an interesting dynamic for young professionals trying to move away from the college social scene. My friends and I have found a few local haunts we frequent that seriously card and have been largely undiscovered by fake ID carrying college co-eds. The colleges do fill a void for the arts. I enjoy the plays, dance, music recitals, college-hosted speakers, and FSU has an awesome film school."

"Sounds promising," His eyes were riveted to her lips as she'd been talking. Bella nervously changed the subject.

"My friends, Alice and Jasper Whitlock, are having a youth fellowship at their house tonight. Jasper is the Youth Pastor at Oakdale Church in North Tallahassee. After the youth leave, they're having an adult get-together with some friends. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure, sounds great."

"Um, actually, we should probably leave now if we're going to be on time."

They made short work of ditching the parents and were in Bella's car and headed north to the Whitlock home. James was funny and oddly easy to talk to. After years of thinking he was not a Pastor's son, but the spawn of Satan, Bella was glad he had made peace with whatever issues he had been dealing with back then. As if he had read her mind, his next question was right on queue.

"Bella, you must have thought I was an uber-douchebag a few years ago, didn't you?

"Well, you did rate majorly on the douchebaggery scale."

His blue eyes looked tortured. "I'm sorrier about that than you know, Bella. That was a dark time for me. I was recovering from an addiction to painkillers resulting from a martial arts injury I suffered in my freshman year at Georgia State. I've been clean for almost three years now."

Bella felt a mixture of sadness and relief. It had not been all about her. "Now I understand. I'm sorry you had to go through that, James. I had my share of injuries when I was in gymnastics, and the drugs are so good…sorry, that was so lame of me…" Bella was sure she looked like a lobster at that moment.

He laughed and his eyes crinkled. Bella had never seen him look so handsome. "It's alright, Bella. I don't mind joking about it, now."

"So, did you go to a Rehab facility to get better, or what?"

"When you first came to Spelman, I had just gotten out of one, but neither my head nor my heart was right for a very long time. When you left after your sophomore year, I had completed another stay in a Christian facility and that's when I got clean, but I was still a mess spiritually. About a year before you left Atlanta, God did a major work in my life. I re-dedicated myself to Him. I finally got the breakthrough my parents and I had been praying for. I joined the Praise Team at my church and pretty soon our little praise team became like the 'Hillsong' of Atlanta."

"You've always been a great guitar player, and you have a singing range like freakin' David Phelps, with just a little more soul. I can totally see you leading worship at Reformed Baptist. That church has a huge college group that would really appreciate a younger music minister."

"Thanks, Bella. I seem to remember you having a gorgeous set of pipes, too."

"Um, thanks." Bella chewed her bottom lip in earnest then, her face warm and undoubtedly rosy. He brought his right hand up to her face, caressing her cheek softly with the back of his hand.

"I always liked that blush of yours, Bella. A lot of the women in Atlanta are too brazen, too plastic, and completely over the top. But you are quite the contemporary version of the Proverbs 31 woman." James' blue eyes were sincere.

Bella was momentary unable to get her tongue to move and her mouth to work properly. It had only been about a week since she had been royally ticked off with God that she had no man in her life, and now she had two of the handsomest men on the planet flirting with her, in the same week.

James smiled that crinkly-eyed smile of his again. "I didn't mean to render you speechless, Bella. You had to know I liked you, right? As a matter of fact, I sent you a bouquet of roses on Valentine's Day right before you graduated. I invited you to come sing with me, but I never heard from you, so I took it to mean you either had someone else in your life, or you weren't interested."

"You sent the roses?" Bella was stunned for a moment, and then she laughed. "I thought they came from James Bingham, this guy at Morehouse who wanted me to sing with his hip hop group. He not only wanted me to sing, but I was supposed to be like his music-video-dancer except on stage. I read him the riot act on the quad the next time I saw him. I'm sure he must have thought I was an eggroll short of a Pu-Pu platter."

James laughed too, just as they were pulling into the Whitlock's driveway.

~888~

**A/N: So, a handsome, non-bad, non-vampire, former addict, version of James emerges. Do you hate it? Love it? Give me some feedback. I promise this is going somewhere. Reviews would be nice. :) **

**McClay**** School: A Private Academy in North Tallahassee.**

**FAMU: Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University**

**FSU: Florida State University**

**TCC: Tallahassee Community College**

**David Phelps: Contemporary Christian Singer/Songwriter.**

**Hillsong: Hillsong music is derived from the Hillsong Church in Sidney Australia. It has topped Australian charts, with albums achieving gold and platinum sales status. Hillsong has made its mark internationally with many travelling to Sydney for the annual Hillsong Conference, which attracts over 28,000 people yearly, as well as the sales of albums and teaching and the international reputation of its leadership.**

**Proverbs 31 Woman: Describes how a "virtuous woman" should behave as defined in Proverbs31, in the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible. She is described as being a business woman, educated and very capable.**

**Morehouse: The Male counterpart to Spelman College in Atlanta.**

**Pu-Pu Platter: A Pu pu platter, pu-pu platter, or pupu platter is a tray of American Chinese Cuisine consisting of an assortment of small meat and seafood appetizers. A typical pupu platter might include an egg roll, spare ribs, chicken wings, chicken fingers, beef teriyaki, skewered beef, fried wontons, crab rangoon, fried shrimp, among other items, accompanied with a small hibachi grill.**


	6. Ch 5 TLC: My Cup Overflows

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I am just living vicariously through them.

**A/N: Although BPOV and EPOV looks like they might be identical, they aren't in this chapter. There are some things thought and said by Edward that are not included in Bella's point of view.**

**There are 771 people reading this story, but only 56 have been brave enough to review, favorite, or alert the story so you can get updates. That said, I'm calling on all readers to let me hear from you. I'm waiting…**

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.**

**Psalm 23:5**

**__________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 5 – TLC: My Cup Overflows**

**BPOV**

When their laughter subsided over the roses mix-up, Bella was blown away by the real bomb James had just dropped on her. He. Liked. Her. Bella was engulfed by a mixture of emotions. She really didn't know how to feel about his belated declaration. After his erstwhile confession about his painkiller addiction earlier, she now understood exactly why they had never connected. Bella was about to get out of the car, but James called to her softly.

"Bella?"

She turned to look at him and he took her hand in his. His blue eyes were serious again.

"Even if things don't work out with Reformed Baptist and I don't get to move to Tallahassee, I'd like to keep in touch with you, if that's OK. I missed one opportunity to get to know you better. I don't want to do that again."

"James, I don't…know." Bella looked down at their interlocked hands. She was torn. Should she wait and hope to someday explore a relationship with Edward, who was unsure of his worth, or should she accept this man who didn't seem afraid to bare his very soul to her.

"Are you involved with anyone right now?"

She looked up into his eyes again. "No, but to be honest, I just met someone that I like, but we're not really… involved. It's complicated."

"No pressure, then. We can take it slow, see how things go. If he doesn't man-up soon, it'll be his loss. In the meantime, I'm gonna' be pulling out all the stops, if you'll let me." His sincerity was touching.

"OK," Bella acquiesced. Her face was so hot, she feared she might faint.

James brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. "I promise not to ever make you regret that decision, Bella."

James was the perfect gentleman; he gallantly opened the door for her, and wouldn't allow her to carry any of the items she brought from the car. He carried the two Tupperware bowls full of cookies and the bottle of wine Bella had chosen to bring for the party afterwards. Alice swung the door open before Bella could ring the doorbell.

"Bella! I'm so glad you're here." Alice ushered them in and closed the door behind them. She looked expectantly to Bella for an introduction.

"Alice, this is James Hall. James, Alice Whitlock."

"Nice to meet you, James." Alice extended her hands to take the cookies from him.

"It's very nice to meet you, too, Alice. Thanks for having me in your lovely home."

"My husband, Jasper, is in the den, go on through and introduce yourself, I'm going to steal Bella away to help me in the kitchen. Jasper will show you where to put the wine."

Bella helped Alice finish preparing the snacks and James helped Jasper set up a rather elaborate Bible Jeopardy game that Alice designed for the youth group's gaming pleasure. When all the teens and pre-teens arrived, they had about 30 young guests who spent the first fifteen minutes devouring all the goodies Alice had prepared for them. For an icebreaker, Bella and Alice stuck cards to their foreheads on which the name of a person famous or infamous was written. The object was for them to partner up with someone, and through asking a series of probing questions, discover the name of the person written on their partner's forehead.

The teenage girls were drawn to Jasper and James like bees to pollen and squabbled over who would partner with them. They were enamored with the two older blonde hotties in the room. Bella and Alice had to run interference. Finally, they all identified their people and they managed to get them settled in a less chaotic game of Bible Jeopardy, girls against guys. Jasper played the jeopardy jingle in the appropriate places on his guitar during the game. The girls won, but only by 100 jeopardy dollars. They each got a goody bag consisting of movie passes, iTunes dollars, and a gift certificate to Chick Fila; the boys were given a movie pass as a consolation prize. You would have thought they'd won the Powerball; the screams were deafening.

James led them in a couple of songs at Jasper's request. He chose two Brandon Heath songs; "Give Me Your Eyes" and "I'm Not Who I Was." The teens really seemed to like the songs and sang along happily without any prompting. He looked at Bella as he sang, "I'm Not Who I Was," as if sending a message to her saying, please see me as I am now, not that jerk who didn't have his act together a few years ago. Bella was moved by his song choice. She gave his hand a squeeze when he came back to sit next to her.

Jasper shared a little bit with them about the next meeting in two weeks which would involve a Scavenger Hunt. The kids were stoked and those who could drive left quickly, while the ones who were being picked up by parents trickled out. Bella, Alice and James did a hasty clean-up and began preparing for the second party. They heated hors d'ouevres and set out party plates and glassware. The last teen left at exactly ten minutes before the time designated for the party guests to arrive, so Jasper enlisted James to help with setting up the bar.

Alice was excited to finally have Bella alone in the kitchen again.

"You were in Atlanta with that fine specimen for four years and you never jumped his bones?" Alice was incredulous.

"No. Let's just say the opportunity never presented itself. We were both in very different places then… Hey what happened to, 'Bella you're going to be with my cousin. I've seen it.'"

Alice smirked. "A little competition might just make Edward get his ass in gear."

"Edward's coming here, tonight?" Bella's heart rate doubled.

"Yes."

"And when were you going to tell me that?"

"Now."

"You're an evil little munchkin, Alice."

Alice sighed dramatically. "I know, but you will thank me for this, eventually."

"Is he coming with the skankster model?"

"Yeah, but she's on the way out, trust me." Alice took some trays out of the cabinet and set them on the island.

"If I hadn't brought James here, then would you have invited me here to…what, be the third wheel and meet Edward's girlfriend?"

"No, I would have asked him to come alone, duh."

"Alice, this is going to look so…so contrived. James likes me and he's a good Christian man. Maybe I should just give him a serious chance and forget about your cousin."

"You can try. You do have free will, Bella. But what I've seen comes straight from the source. It is not subjective like the visions one might get from a mere fortune teller."

"Then tell me, how long am I supposed to wait around for Edward to get his act together, if he ever does?"

Alice didn't have a response.

"That's what I thought." Bella went back to the oven to check on the last pan of hors d'oeuvres. "These are ready." She grabbed the oven mitts and pulled the pan out of the oven, slapping it agitatedly on the countertop.

Alice brought the party tray over with a wan smile, hugged her friend and together they silently transferred the hot hors d'oeuvres from the pan to the tray. The first party guests rang the doorbell and they finished the task and scurried to the living room to greet the guests.

~888~

The party turned out to be smaller than Bella expected, despite Alice's preference for the large and elaborate. Emmett and Rosalie arrived first. Bella found Rosalie a lot less intimidating in her regular clothes than she had been in uniform, but she was gorgeous nonetheless. Bella wasn't sure just yet how to take her. Emmett was a massively built brunette whose size was rather daunting, but he was really a teddy bear and immediately became the life of the party. Bella already liked him.

Mike and Jessica Crowley were a young African American couple from Alice and Jasper's church, rather quiet and studious looking, but very nice. Mike was an Administrator at Capital Regional Medical Center and Jessica was a Middle School Teacher. Jessica was impressed with the improvement the children at City of Hope had made in one year. Bella promised to share the curriculum with Jessica that she used with them.

Edward and Tanya arrived last. Bella was standing at the bar where James was pouring her a glass of wine, when Edward entered the room with Tanya in tow. Tanya was indeed a beautiful strawberry blonde who carried herself with the confidence of someone who knew they looked good and was eager to flaunt it. She wore a short white shift dress that accentuated her long tanned legs. Bella was almost certain that Rosalie was wearing the same dress. She wondered how that would play out tonight. Edward's eyes narrowed infinitesimally when they met Bella's, but he recovered smoothly and sauntered over, hands in pockets, a tiny muscle working in his jaw.

"Bella." His velvety voice was cordial.

"Hello, Edward." Bella returned his acknowledgement in the same tone. "I'd like you to meet James Hall, James this is Edward Cullen. Edward is the community liaison at the Center where I work." She said this more for Tanya's benefit than James'.

James offered his hand to Edward to shake over the bar. Edward took it albeit reluctantly. "I'm hearing good things about the work at the Center," James said. "Thanks for keeping this beautiful lady safe." He smiled, handing Bella her glass of wine, and commenced pouring a club soda for himself.

Bella smiled, willing herself stubbornly not to blush. Tanya was giving her the once-over, and she didn't want to give her the satisfaction of seeing her uncomfortable with a mere compliment.

Edward smirked. "That is one of my more pleasant duties."

Tanya was livid that Bella seemed to be getting more attention than she was. She tugged petulantly on Edward's arm, and he made a hurried introduction.

"Bella, James, this is Tanya Denali."

"Hello, Tanya." Bella said with what she hoped was a friendly smile.

"Nice to meet you." James said almost at the same time.

Tanya curled her lips in a supercilious smile. "Hi. Are you bartending, James?"

"I'd be happy to pour you something, Tanya. What'll it be?"

Tanya crowded in and Bella stepped back, catching the corner of her bottom lip by her teeth. James was taking Tanya's order, so she turned to Edward.

She looked up into Edward's green eyes. His brows were slightly furrowed, but it looked as if his eyes were boring questioningly into hers.

Bella decided to ask a question of her own. "So, how did it go today with Kwame and Marcus?"

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head briskly, his wild hair, tamed with product again, moving in a bit of a delay. He forced a smile. "Um…it went very well. They worked me out pretty thoroughly on the basketball court, and I taught them a few soccer fundamentals. We had a really good talk over lunch. I'll…uh, fill you in on Monday?"

"Sure, what am I thinking, discussing work at a party. Alice wants us to have fun tonight."

"That she does," Edward's tone was slightly acerbic.

James looked over at them. "Hey, Edward, can I get you anything?"

"Yeah, Dewar's White Label, neat."

"Coming right up."

Tanya brandished her drink in one hand and walked back over to Edward, snaking her arm through his.

"Tanya," Bella tried again at polite conversation. "I hear you're a model. Are you working on a project right now?"

"You probably wouldn't know it. I'm doing some work for House of Dereon. I'm not very familiar with them myself."

"Actually, its Beyonce's clothing line. She and her mother are design partners."

"Wow, I had no idea. I thought she was just endorsing the line, or something."

"Mrs. Knowles has made quite an improvement since those atrocious outfits she designed for Destiny's Child, huh?" Bella chuckled.

"I know, right?" Tanya laughed.

James came around to the front of the bar and delivered Edward's drink to him.

"Thanks," Edward said tightly with a rather insincere smile.

Alice peeked into the room. "Come on into the Den, you guys. We're about to play Couples Mad Gab."

James, holding his club soda in his left hand, took Bella's hand in his right, pulled her close to his side and wound his arm around her waist, "Let's go show them how this is done."

Edward looked like he could chew nails.

~888~

Bella and James entered the den and perched in a huge chair in the corner that seated them both comfortably. Rosalie was helping Alice set up the Mad Gab game when she looked up and saw Tanya and Edward taking a couple of cushioned dining chairs that had been brought into the room for the games. Once seated, Tanya looked over at Rosalie. They regarded one another malevolently across the room, eyes narrowed, senses heightened, looking like two cowboys at a high noon shootout in a Spaghetti Western. No one was brave enough to state the obvious to those two.

Emmett and Edward did the handshake and shoulder bump thing, sharing a mumbled joke and chuckling like they might have done while they were in high school. Alice introduced everyone who wasn't introduced to the newcomers and they settled down for the game.

Mad Gab was a riot. Emmett and Rosalie came up with some of the most hilarious answers for the word jumbles, although invariably they were wrong. Mike and Jessica won, hands down. Bella and James came in a close second, followed by Alice and Jasper, Tanya and Edward, and finally Emmett and Rose. They refreshed drinks, ate finger food and mingled until the next activity, which Alice informed them would be "Couples Karaoke."

"That gives us a snowball's chance in hell to win any of these games, then. Right, babe?"

"Em, karaoke's not really a game," Rosalie said rolling her eyes.

"It will be if Alice decides to give points, god damn it."

Rose glared at him. "Watch your French, babe. We're in mixed company."

"It's OK Rosalie, contrary to popular belief; Christians' ears don't bleed when they hear curse words. Like my Nana says, if god can't stand a damn he isn't worth one," Bella quipped.

"Whoa, and this from the Pastor's daughter," Emmett guffawed.

"Nana just believes God is bigger than any curse word you can utter. She likes to think He probably has a few choice ones of His own."

"Bella, your Nana sounds kinda' twisted," Emmett declared.

"My Nana _is_ quite the force of nature."

"Eh, my Dad worked on an Oil Rig in the Gulf before he became a Pastor." James offered. "It was years before he got a handle on his cussin'. And he's used some of it on me over the years, let me tell ya'."

Bella was astonished. "I'll never be able to look at your Dad again without cracking up."

"I'll tickle you _or something,_ then. He won't be any the wiser." James' words were laced with innuendo. The Swan blush invaded her cheeks. Bella smiled as she realized he was looking at her lips again.

"How sweet," Rosalie said. "I can't remember the last time Emmett made me blush like that."

"Excuse me," Bella turned hoping to quickly extricate herself from the unwanted attention and slammed right into Edward.

~888~

**EPOV**

Tanya made them run late as usual, and it pissed Edward off. She was always taking more time in front of the mirror, as if it would somehow magically transform her into something beyond what she already was. She was beautiful, but beyond that, there was not very much to keep him tethered to her for very long. She was shallow, vain, and high maintenance on overdrive, and he was tiring of her rapidly.

When they were halfway to Alice and Jasper's, he had calmed down considerably and was really looking forward to hanging out with them tonight. He wondered if Bella would be there, but then remembered that Alice told him this was a couple's thing, and Bella wasn't coupled with anyone. Admittedly, he would love to be coupled with her, but knew it was impossible considering his current mental state. He would need to work through some major psychotherapy before he ever attempted to woo a girl like Bella, and he knew this. All week long he had worked with her at the Center and was becoming increasingly intrigued by her. She was smart, compassionate, extremely well-adjusted, kind to the point of selflessness, a very strong woman who didn't take any shit, who loved music as much as he did, and was sexy as hell. In short she was his ideal, but he could fuck that up in a heartbeat.

He parked on the curb in front of the house and opened the door for Tanya. He wouldn't let his chagrin with her for making them late make him less than the gentleman his mother taught him to be. Alice greeted them at the door.

"Cousin!" She rose on her tip-toes to hug him.

"Alice." He smiled and gestured toward his date. "You remember Tanya?"

"Yes, thank you for coming, Tanya," Alice was ever the gracious hostess.

"Thank you for having us," Tanya threw Alice a pasted on smile.

"So, we've just been eating hors d'ouerves and mingling a bit until you guys got here. We're going to start some games in a few minutes. Please, go on into the den and grab some drinks."

"Great. This way, Tanya." Edward gestured to the left. They walked the few feet through the foyer and down the hallway to the Den.

At the threshold, Edward stopped, his jaw dropping briefly. _Bella._ He made what he hoped was a quick recovery and fashioned his mouth into what he intended as a smile, but it contorted into a smirk. Bella was standing at the bar where a blonde guy wearing a metrosexual version of a "high and tight" haircut was pouring her a glass of wine. Edward's eyes narrowed wondering if this was Bella's date. He sauntered over nonchalantly stuffing his hands in pockets, as they were visibly shaking, a tiny muscle working in his jaw.

"Bella." He addressed her as cordially as his nerves would allow.

"Hello, Edward." Just her saying his name made him have to begin humming "Taps."

She made introductions cordially. "I'd like you to meet James Hall, James this is Edward Cullen. Edward is the community liaison at the Center where I work."

James offered a hand for him to shake over the bar. Edward briefly considered blowing him off, but that would smack of a lameness he was not ready to exhibit in front of Bella.

"I'm hearing good things about the work at the Center," James said. "Thanks for keeping this beautiful lady safe." He smiled, handed Bella her glass of wine, and poured a club soda for himself.

Bella smiled and there was a hint of a blush that didn't quite make it to full-on. Tanya was eyeing Bella as if she was sizing up the competition.

Edward smirked and responded, "That is one of my more pleasant duties."

Tanya looked like she could have shit a brick at that moment. She tugged petulantly on his arm, and he made a quick introduction.

"Bella, James, this is Tanya Denali."

"Hello, Tanya." Bella smiled like she wanted to be best friends with Tanya.

"Nice to meet you." James said, looking like that bad guy from the movie, "Never Back Down." Edward hoped he wasn't as fucked up as that dude. Bella deserved better.

Tanya smiled condescendingly. "Hi. Are you bartending, James?"

"I'd be happy to pour you something, Tanya. What'll it be?" _The bastard seemed to be nice, anyway._

Tanya pushed her ass forward, causing Bella to have to step back. Bella worried her bottom lip with her teeth, and then turned to Edward.

She looked up into his eyes; her liquid brown pools were friendly, attempting to draw him in. Edward knit his brow slightly, and stared searchingly into her eyes.

"So, how did it go today with Kwame and Marcus?" Her question was polite and friendly.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He hoped his smile was genuine. "Um…it went very well. They worked me out pretty thoroughly on the basketball court, and I taught them a few soccer fundamentals. We had a really good talk over lunch. I'll…uh, fill you in on Monday?"

"Sure, what am I thinking, discussing work at a party. Alice wants us to have fun tonight."

"That she does," Edward felt like he was being rude, but he couldn't control himself.

James looked over and got Edward's attention. "Hey, Edward, can I get you anything?"

"Yeah, Dewar's White Label, neat." To get through this night, he needed some serious fucking alcohol.

"Coming right up."

Tanya, drink in hand, walked back over to Edward, and put her arm through his.

"Tanya," Bella said. "I hear you're a model. Are you working on a project right now?"

"You probably wouldn't know it. I'm doing some work for House of Dereon. I'm not very familiar with them myself."

"Actually, its Beyonce's clothing line. She and her mother are design partners." Tanya's attempt at patronizing Bella backfired on her ass.

"Wow, I had no idea. I thought she was just endorsing the line, or something."

"Mrs. Knowles has made quite an improvement since those atrocious outfits she designed for Destiny's Child, huh?" Bella giggled.

"I know, right?" Tanya tried to play that shit off.

James brought Edward's drink to him, abandoning his bartending duty.

"Thanks," Edward said forcing his lips into a thin smile.

Alice poked her head in the door. "Come on into the Den, you guys. We're about to play Couples Mad Gab."

James, holding his club soda in his left hand, took Bella's hand in his right, pulled her close to his side and wound his arm around her waist, "Let's go show them how this is done."

Edward saw red.

~888~

Edward watched as James led Bella to large cozy chair in the corner where they sat together, like they had been a couple forever. Rosalie and Alice were setting up the game. Edward noticed that Rose and Tanya were wearing the same dress. He and Tanya took a couple of cushioned dining chairs that were positioned around the room for the games. When they were seated, Tanya looked over at Rosalie, who was already giving her the stink eye. Tanya brandished her stink eye and they stared one another down for a few seconds. Edward acted oblivious. He did not want be the one to go there, and neither did anyone else in the room.

Emmett came over to greet them. When he shook Edward's hand and leaned his shoulder in, he whispered into Edward's ear so Tanya couldn't hear. "Bella is smoking, bro. You're a dick."

Then Emmett mumbled loudly, "What the fuck is this Mad Gab Game your cousin's got us playing?" They laughed.

"Just play the game, you cretin. Alice's feelings might get hurt." Edward waved at Rose, who pursed her lips, but her eyes were smiling. Alice introduced everyone who hadn't been introduced to Edward and Tanya and they settled down for the game.

Mad Gab was interesting, but Edward kept stealing glances at Bella and her date; they were animated and immersed in the fun of playing the game. Emmett and Rosalie were like the funniest two of the three stooges; they were worse than bad. Mike and Jessica won and Bella and her date came in second, Alice and Jasper were third, Edward and Tanya were fourth, but he didn't care, and Emmett and Rose were dead last. They refreshed drinks, ate finger food and mingled until the next activity, which Alice informed them would be "Couples Karaoke."

Tanya attempted a private game with him, but Edward wasn't in the mood. She made sure no one was looking and assaulted his neck with her tongue. Edward was watching Bella, Emmett, Rose and that Cam Gigandet-looking motherfucker as they talked in a little circle.

"That gives us a snowball's chance in hell to win any of these games, then. Right, babe?"

"Em, karaoke's not really a game," Rosalie said rolling her eyes.

"It will be if Alice decides to give points, god damn it."

Rose glared at him. "Watch your French, babe. We're in mixed company."

"Like my Nana used to say, if god can't stand a damn he isn't worth one." _Bella was always trying to put others at ease._

"Whoa, and this from the Pastor's daughter." _Emmett was a dick._

"Nana just believes God is bigger than any curse word you can utter. She likes to think He probably has a few choice ones of His own."

"Bella, your Nana sounds kinda' twisted," Emmett_ was still a dick._

"Eh, my Dad worked on an Oil Rig in the Gulf before he became a Pastor." _James was a dick that was trying too hard._ "It was years before he got a handle on his cussin'. But don't tell him I let you guys in on that little family secret."

Bella was surprised by this tid bit of information. "I'll never be able to look at your Dad again without cracking up."

"I'll tickle you _or something,_ then. He won't be any the wiser." James' feeble attempt at flirting was lamer than lame.

Edward felt like gagging himself. Bella was blushing, and Edward had enough. He slid Tanya off him gently. He had to get out of here.

"How sweet," Rosalie said. "I can't remember the last time Emmett made me blush like that."

"Excuse me," Bella turned trying to avoid the unwanted attention and slammed right into Edward.

Edward caught and steadied her. Her face was flushed, her eyes wide with embarrassment, but she looked ravishing. His body immediately responded to her. He held her a second longer than necessary, then gently stepped back, dropping his hands.

"Sorry," Bella said sheepishly. "I was just going to see if Alice needed any help in the kitchen."

"I'm going that way, too." He motioned toward the door, and Bella walked through.

"Edward," Tanya said, demanding his attention. "Bring me another drink, please."

"Sure thing." Edward followed Bella into the kitchen.

Alice wasn't there, so Bella began transferring food from near empty trays and combining one to fill it up.

"Your date is quite beautiful," she said, as he entered the room. "You guys look good together."

"Your date seems like a real stand up kinda' guy. Have you known him long?"

"I met James when I went to school in Atlanta. His Dad and my Dad went to Seminary together."

"So, what? Did you two decide that a long distance relationship wouldn't work out after you left Atlanta?"

"Not really, we didn't date when I was in Atlanta. James was…we were not ready for a relationship then. We were just…friends."

"And now he's had a change of heart?"

"Why the third degree, Edward? You made it abundantly clear that you were in no position to be with me. I am simply moving on."

"Bella, I just want you to be happy..."

"Then you and I are like-minded men," James said from the door. He sauntered over to Bella smiling. "Can I help in here?"

Bella smiled back, "Sure, we should take these out so they can be eaten."

Edward stalked to the bar in the den and poured himself a double.

~888~

A/N:

**Brandon Heath** **is a contemporary Christian musician from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released two studio albums: _Don't Get Comfortable_ (2006) and _What If We_ (2008). He is best known for the number one hits "I'm Not Who I Was" and "Give Me Your Eyes". He was nominated four times at the Dove Awards of 2008 and won in the "New Artist of the Year" category. His second album was nominated for "Gospel Album of the Year" at the 51st Grammy Awards of 2009.**

**Mad Gab** **is a game created by Terry White in which there are at least two teams and 2 to 12 players. Each team has two minutes to sound out three puzzles. The puzzles, also known as mondegreens, contain small words that, when put together, make a word or phrase. For example, "These If Hill Wore" when pronounced quickly sounds like "The Civil War." There are 2 difficulties: easy and hard. The faster the puzzles are answered, the more points the players score. (Couple Mad Gab is Alice's variation.)**


	7. Ch 6 TLC: The Music Never Ends

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I am just living vicariously through them.

**A/N: Thanks so much to mylittlesecret84 and EZRocksAngel who read this chapter for my (in the words of Copward) "beta-less ass" and gave me some great constructive criticism, advice and encouragement. I found out after writing this chapter that many fanfics use Karaoke, but the Karoake scene has a lot of good exposition built around it, and I was just too damn lazy to go back and change it to something else, especially since it had been mentioned in the last chapter. That said, I hope the Karaoke doesn't make you barf. Also, All you James distrusters and haters, please bear with me. This is really going somewhere, I promise. James just might surprise you for once ****J**

_  
_**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.**

**Psalm 57:7**

**­­­­­­­­­Chapter 6 – TLC: The Music Never Ends**

**BPOV**

Bella had been too ticked with Edward to blush during their little exchange, but she felt the warmth flow over her face as she regarded James, walking toward her. He stopped directly in front of her; the length of the tray she was holding was all that separated them.

He looked resolute. "So, Edward is my competition, huh?"

"It's really not like that, we just met this week. How much of that did you hear, anyway?" Bella asked. She set the tray back on the island and looked up into his cobalt eyes.

He was apologetic. "I came in on the part where you were telling him you were moving on. I'm sorry, Bella." He ran his hand over his face in nervous frustration. "It was not my intention to eavesdrop."

"It's..." She shook her head. "Fine."

"I wish I could say that I should have walked away, but when he spoke of wanting you to be happy, I couldn't help myself..." He heaved an exasperated sigh. "He's a fool for wanting an affected Barbie doll over an amazing woman like you."

Bella allowed James to draw his own conclusions. She didn't feel it was necessary to explain the narcotic effect that Edward Cullen had on her or his subsequent rejection.

She smiled a half-hearted smile. "He was dating Tanya long before I came into the picture. This drama between us is a result of meeting one another when the timing is way off. You and I might know a thing or two about that, right?"

"Yes, which is exactly why I don't plan to make the same mistake twice."

His words sounded right, however, Bella felt slightly uneasy that he was coming on so strong. James had been broken, was now whole again, and anxious to seize life. A life it seems, that included her in it. He came away from a season of trials and tribulations with his faith intact. She had to admire that.

He wanted to get to know her in a way that they were never free to explore when she was in Atlanta, but was that even possible now? While James had been eerily cool towards her a few years ago, they had been cordial to one another whenever his parents invited her to their home. As it was her natural inclination to be compassionate and forgiving, there was really no reason that she shouldn't give him a chance. At least he was willing. Although she told herself that she was OK with Edward's apathy towards her romantically, it really threw her for a loop when he did his little about face.

When she fashioned she'd had a crush on James back in the day, he would simply stare at her whenever he thought she wasn't looking. Eventually, she had relegated him to being unalterably weird until just before Valentine's Day, in her final year there.

The Halls had invited her to church to sing, and James sang on that same morning. After the service, he had enthusiastically complimented her on her singing. But he didn't approach her romantically then, nor ask her out on a date. Or so she thought. The roses debacle was proof that he had been interested. Now it seemed that he was eager to make up for lost time. She hoped she wasn't jumping out of a frying pan and into a raging fire.

"You look like you could use a hug," he said with a smile. He held his arms out to her.

Bella hesitated briefly. This was an opportunity to remedy that empty-armed feeling she had. She took the few steps willingly into his arms. She laid her head on his chest as if in surrender. There was an aromatic, woodsy fragrance, which she'd only gotten hints of earlier that assaulted her nose completely as she rested in his arms. He smelled so good.

_This could be good, couldn't it?_

At that moment hurricane Alice came breezing into the kitchen. "We need more food…Oh, hey, sorry."

Bella and James relaxed their embrace, smiling guiltily at Alice. James recovered first and reached for the tray.

"We were just about to bring these out," Bella said brightly. Alice turned on her heel and headed back to the living room, Bella and James following close behind.

~888~

When the rest of the food was devoured and drinks were refreshed once again, they selected songs to sing in Couples Karaoke. Bella and James selected the James Ingram and Patti Austin duet entitled "How Do You Keep The Music Playing?"

Bella thought it was the perfect song for a couple just getting to know one another. She remembered Renee and Charlie singing this song together when she was younger. She and James settled in the cozy chair again and strategized on how they would deliver the song.

Jessica and Mike begged off singing, explaining that they were both hopelessly tone deaf. Bella teased them about it.

"When God was handing out vocal chords, you two must have gotten in the wrong line and drawn the short straw, huh?" Bella grinned.

"Yep," Mike was sheepish. "The noise we make is not joyful."

"Neither is it with musical instruments. We kinda' suck at all things musical." Jessica laughed.

Edward, Bella noticed, was making copious trips to the bar. Tanya was all over him in between bar trips. The more inebriated he got, the more hands on Tanya got.

Jasper designated the space directly in front of the fireplace as the stage, and acted as Emcee, introducing the acts, while Alice queued up the music. Rosalie and Emmett were up first. They sang "I Got You, Babe" by Sonny and Cher.

Alice found a long black wig that she'd apparently worn last Halloween and Rosalie donned the wig to make for an uncanny, but more beautiful, Cher. Emmett wore a too tight, vintage 60s leather fringe vest and got on his knees so he was short enough to be Rosalie's Sonny. In places, the song was like hearing someone scratch their nails against a chalkboard; excruciating. They laughed so hard at Emmett and Rose's antics; it took a good five minutes for everyone to recover.

"Let's hear it for Rosalie Hale and Emmett McCarty!" Jasper screamed in his radio announcer voice. "These two are engaged folks, and I have to tell ya' after that performance, I am seriously wondering if they should procreate. If their offspring sings like they do, heaven help 'em."

Rose made her hand in the shape of gun, shot Jasper, and then blew on the tip of her finger, as if blowing the smoke from the barrel of the gun. He fell to the floor jerking like he was actually shot. Then he sat up and panned the audience with his eyes, "And if their singing doesn't kill you, they actually carry firearms."

Jasper's emceeing was taking on an eery Simon Cowellesque tone. Nevertheless, their little crowd, was clapping, cheering loudly and laughing heartily at his jokes.

Edward downed yet another drink before he and Tanya took center stage. They chose "It's Your Love" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Edward had reasonable command of his velvet voice; his musical talent evident even though he had to be besotted as many drinks as he'd imbibed.

Tanya created riffs that had never been heard before. If Tim and Faith had been there, they would have run from the room screaming just on her performance alone. Edward couldn't seem to control his laughter while Tanya was singing. She glared at him and turned away. Bella was unnerved when Edward sang the final refrain; his green eyes grew serious and were locked with hers.

_It's your love  
It just does somethin' to me  
It sends a shock right through me  
I can't get enough  
And if you wonder  
About the spell I'm under  
It's your love_

Tanya noticed him looking at Bella and quickly became forgiving. She reached up and cupped his cheek, effectively turning his face back to hers. When the song ended, Tanya pulled Edward into a kiss that made even Jasper and Alice uncomfortable.

Emmett booed and yelled, "Get a Room!" and laughed loudly. Rosalie socked him in the arm with her dainty fist. Edward made a throat slashing gesture at Emmett on the way back to their seats.

"Give it up for Edward Cullen and Tanya Denali!" Jasper barked. "Your stage presence leaves a little bit to be desired you two. Word to the wise: Don't quit your day jobs."

"Maybe we should fire the Emcee," Edward quipped, his words slurred slightly. He and Jasper playfully stared one another down until Edward made his way back to the den, presumably to refill his drink. Emmett and Rose followed him with their eyes, as did Bella, a look of concern on their faces. Edward staggered slightly, when he re-entered the room, just as Bella and James began their song.

James began, "_How do you keep the __music__ playing? How do you make it last? How do you keep the __song__ from fading too fast?"_

Bella followed, "_How do you lose yourself to someone? And never lose your way? How do you not run out of new things to say?"_

They knew one another's performance styles and their preparation beforehand showed in the performance. Bella made it a point to look everywhere but at Edward. Their audience stood up and began to applaud and cheer in the middle of the song. Bella heard a loud two-fingered whistle and turned to look right into Edward's eyes as she sang the words:

_I know the way I feel for you is now or never_

_The more I love the more that I'm afraid_

_That in your eyes I may not see forever._

Bella willed herself to avert her eyes and she and James sang the second verse together, Bella carrying the melody and James harmonizing in a beautiful descant. They finished as they had discussed, holding hands with their mike hands interlocked, _"The music never ends."_

Everyone applauded profusely, except Tanya, who clapped a couple of times and then stood with her arms folded. Bella and James blew kisses to everyone. Edward winked when he caught Bella's eye, and did the two-fingered whistle thing again, his crooked smile loosened considerably by alcohol.

"One question," Jasper said. "When does the CD drop you two?"

"Tonight," Bella shot back. "You can hang out around Club 1090 and sell them out of the trunk of your car."

"Mr. Emcee," Emmett bellowed. "She just kind of owned you right there, man."

"Hey, show the Emcee some respect, you guys." Jasper feigned a hurt look.

"I got your back, baby," Alice chirped sweetly.

Alice and Jasper were up last. They moved into the stage area, just as Bella and James took their seats again. Rose took over with the music.

"As your hosts," Jasper declared, taking his mike and handing one to Alice, "I don't know how in the _hell_, Alice and I are supposed to follow Bella and James, but here goes." They all laughed.

Their song choice was "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. They swayed to the music as the base line came up and then faced one another as they sang. Jasper with his fabulous tenor and Alice's pixyish soprano did a perfect Marvin and Tammi impression. Toward the end of the song, they had everyone in the room singing and dancing with them, except Edward. He looked to be passed out, lolling precariously on Tanya's shoulder.

_Don't you know that there Ain't no mountain high enough, Ain't no valley low enough, Ain't no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you, babe!_

~888~

Bella and Rose helped Alice with cleanup as the other guests and Jasper stood around talking in the living room. Rosalie was putting glasses in the dishwasher, Bella was washing trays in the sink, and Alice was wiping down the countertops.

"Edward is shitfaced," Rosalie said matter-of-factly.

Bella looked up at Rosalie. She had guessed as much considering the number of drinks he'd consumed and the way he was lounging on Tanya when they left the room. Alice stopped wiping and looked at Rosalie, too.

"He shouldn't be driving, then." Alice was concerned. "I'll talk to Jasper..."

"Emmett's already on it." Rosalie continued loading the dishwasher. "He's gonna' try to convince him to let one of us drive his car."

Bella dried the last tray and put it away. "Get him home safe, you guys," she said softly. "I'm going to take James back to my parents' and call it a night."

They left the kitchen together. Emmett met them with two sets of keys dangling in his hand. As they entered the living room, Bella noticed that only Jasper and James were left in the room, righting the furniture again and talking.

"Rose, I'm going to drive Edward home in his car. Can you take the H-3 and drop Tanya off and meet me at his place?" Emmett asked, his brow was furrowed in concern.

"You mean I get to take my Twinkie, home?" Rosalie teased, and then promptly acquiesced. "Sure, Babe. But I'm only doing this for Edward." She took the keys from Emmett's hand and he pecked her lovingly on the cheek.

"Thanks you guys," Alice said resignedly. "We'll check on him tomorrow morning."

"Goodnight," Emmett and Rosalie said as they exited through the foyer and out the door.

Bella and Alice bade them goodnight. Turning to look her friend in her lovely grey eyes, Bella saw sadness there for the first time since she had known her.

"I think I might have discounted the subjectivity of the things I see a little too much," Alice said solemnly. "I should have listened to you and Jasper, Bella. What if I my interference has changed the course of things irreparably?"

Bella wanted desperately to assuage her friend's misplaced guilt. "Alice, nothing that you've said or done could have precipitated this. You didn't force the drinks into Edward's hand."

Alice smiled ruefully, "He's been through so much and he deserves to be happy. I just wish he could see that."

"Edward has to come to that realization himself, Alice." Bella sounded calm, effectively controverting her own inner turmoil. Something about Edward Cullen made her want to comfort him, to do whatever she could to take away his pain. But that was not her place, and she would not be able to withstand another rejection.

Bella was certain that Edward was very troubled and needed friends who wouldn't stand idly by and tolerate his self-destructive behavior. She didn't know if she could be that kind of friend to him, but she was certainly willing to give it a try.

~888~

On the drive back to her parents' home, Bella was a bit subdued. James, however, was excited. He drew her out, talking and laughing about all the silly things that happened at the party, but he was sensitive enough not to mention Edward. Bella was thankful for that.

"If we can sing like that and not even practice, imagine how great we will be with a little practice." He said animatedly. "In case you didn't know, singing is something I've wanted to do with you for a long time."

"Oh really," Bella smiled, willing herself out of her funk. "And what else might there be on that list of yours, Mr. Hall?"

"Oh, you're talking about my "Things I want to do with Bella" list. Let's see, it's fairly short but all encompassing." He paused as she made the turn into her parents' circular drive. "I want to discover all your dreams and make them come true…"

"You really shouldn't say those kinds of things to a girl while she's driving, you know." Bella said as she parked in the circle parallel to the front door.

"Hold that thought," he said, hopping out of the car and sprinting around to her door. He took her hand and helped her out of the car.

The door was closed and she was in his arms practically before she could blink. Bella felt him placing feather light kisses on the top of her head, gently nudging her to look up. As she did so, his lips claimed hers tenderly. It was the sweetest kiss, not demanding or lustful, but almost like a promise of what was to come. Together they tasted of mint, club soda and White Zinfandel.

"Wow," Bella said with a smirk, when they came up for air. "Tell me again, why _this _wasn't happening when I was in Atlanta."

He chuckled. "Trust me; this is happening at the perfect time."

She thought for a second, "I'd say it is, yeah."

He released her from his embrace but held her hands in his. Bella stated the obvious. "You have a big day tomorrow. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, especially now that I have an extra incentive," he said smugly. "Will you be there in the morning?"

"I didn't make plans to." Bella was hesitant.

"I'd like you to be there, Bella. It would mean a lot to me."

She smiled. "OK, I'll be there. I—I guess I'd better let you in so you won't have to ring the doorbell." They walked holding hands to the door. "I think my parents are putting you up in my old room tonight, It's on the second door at the top of the stairs on the right. I'm sure your folks are in the guest bedroom, which is the first door on the right."

James held their clasped hands near his heart. "Bella, I want to always be a gentleman with you, but I'm working at erasing a three year deficit of not being with you like this."

"I might consider granting you a Bella Swan stimulus package if that deficit becomes too burdensome," she joked.

"And I'd happily accept it." His blues eyes went from mirthful to serious again. "Tonight was better than I dared hope it would be. Driving here this morning I agonized over seeing you again and possibly finding you unavailable. Thank you for introducing me to your friends and for allowing me into your life, Bella."

Bella felt oddly comfortable now with this man who seemed to be an open book. He had gone through one of the darkest of times and emerged a better man for it. He was a breath of fresh air.

~888~

**EPOV**

"Damn, Bro," Emmett said as he dropped Edward on his bed. "You're not that skinny-assed kid you used to be." He massaged the muscles in his arm that ached from supporting his friend up a flight of stairs and into his apartment.

Edward just moaned. Emmett rolled his eyes and went into the kitchen in search of water. He found a bottle of water in the fridge and took it back to Edward.

"Edward, sit up and drink this," he demanded. When there was no response, he opened the bottle, set it on the bedside table, and then pulled Edward up into a sitting position.

Emmett looked at him like he was the confused boy he had been when they were in high school, when his Mom had made him go to that fucked up church. Edward's hair was wilder than usual, his eyes red-rimmed and puffy.

"Yo, drink this, man." Emmett put the bottle up to his mouth and transferred it from his hand to Edward's.

Edward drank half of the bottle obediently and squinted up at Emmett.

"Wha…the hell happene…?" Edward slurred losing the "d." He felt like he was having an out of body experience.

"You just tried to drink all the fucking scotch in Tallahassee is all," Emmett replied dryly.

"Shi…it." Edward turned the water bottle up again and drained it.

"Want to talk about what's eating you, Gilbert Grape?" Emmett pulled a chair up and straddled it, right in front of his friend.

Edward ran his hands through his already wild hair. "I'm good…I'm, I was just…it's nothing."

Emmett wasn't fooled. "I'd believe that shit if I didn't know you better. Come on man, something's got you drinking like Nick Cage in 'Leaving Las Vegas'."

"I'm fucked," Edward said simply.

"In what manner?" Emmett half-joked.

Edward thought about feeding Emmett a line of bull, but then he caved. "I think I'm falling for Bella, but I dissed her and now she's with that Cam Gigandet-looking, holy roller motherfucker…"

"Hate much, bro?" Emmett said smiling.

"Fuck you." Edward spat. "I thought you really wanted to know what's going on with me?"

"Hey, I'm sorry, Edward. Go on," Emmett said contritely.

"I still don't think I'm good enough for her, but I just can't stand to see her with another man. How fucked up is that?" Edward's anguish was palpable.

"You pushed her away so she has a right to move on with her life. Maybe it's time for you to just give up your player's card and man-up. I mean if not being with this girl is doing this kinda' shit to you, you need to do something. I did that for Rose because I couldn't live without her. Do you feel that strongly for Bella?"

"I don't know," Edward sighed. "I just know that I've never had the kind of feelings I'm having for her for anyone."

"Does she feel the same way about you?" Emmett asked.

"I think she felt a connection, too. But then I was spooked by something Jazz said and I bailed." Edward's eyes were pained.

"What did Jazz say?" Emmett was curious.

"Oh, just what I should have realized all along knowing she was one of Alice's friends. He just said she was not looking for gratuitous hookups, and if I wasn't going to seriously commit, to leave her alone."

"And you let that stop you?" Emmett said incredulously.

"Actually, I agreed with him. Bella is really special, Em."

"Listen, back when Rose and I were in college and I was 'Mr. Big Time' on the FSU football team, I had hot girls lined up for days, man. Then I met Rose and thought I could have her and dabble with the riff raff on the side to my heart's content. But Rose wasn't up for that shit, right. So she dumped my ass and started dating this junior legislator from South Florida; older guy who wined and dined her and really got to know Rose for Rose, know what I mean. She was about to marry that fucker until I finally got my head out of my ass and fought for her. Is Bella worth fighting for, Edward?" Emmett was straightforward.

"Yeah, without a doubt. I just don't know if she needs a fuck-up like me fighting for her, though."

"Dude, you've got to stop with this putting yourself down. Bella doesn't strike me as the kind of girl who would judge you. She's strangely tolerant, and extremely hot as those Christian types go." Emmett said sincerely.

Edward glared at him. "What has her hotness got to do with anything?"

"I'm just saying, man." Emmett Shrugged.

Edward couldn't help but smile at this big lug who'd had his back for as long as he could remember.

"I've got to get some shit fixed in my own life before I can be the kind of man she needs me to be. I've been putting it off for a long time, but no more." Edward was determined.

"Good," Emmett said smiling broadly. "But don't wait too long. That Cam Gigandet-looking motherfucker looks like he's serious, Bro."

~888~

A/N: **_What's Eating Gilbert Grape_** is a 1993 drama film directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Peter Hedges wrote the screenplay adapted from his 1991 novel of the same name. It was filmed in Manor, Texas.

**_Leaving Las Vegas_** is a 1995 romantic drama film about a relationship between a suicidal alcoholic and a prostitute from Las Vegas, starring Nicholas Cage and Elisabeth Shue. The film was directed and written by Mike Figgis, based on a semi-autobiographical novel by John O'Brien. Two weeks after the production of the film had started, O'Brien committee suicide. A halt of the project was considered, but work on the film was continued as a memorial of sorts.

**Excerpt: "How Do You Keep The Music Playing?" by James Ingram and Patti Austin**

_…And since you know we're always changing  
How can it be the same?  
And tell me how year after year  
You're sure your heart won't fall apart  
Each time you hear his name?  
If we can be the best of lovers  
Yet be the best of friends  
If we can try with every day to make it better as it grows  
With any luck then I suppose  
The music never ends… _


	8. Ch 7 TLC: In The Face Of The Unexpected

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I am just living vicariously through them.

A/N: Thanks to **Charmie77** and **acireamos**, who did a helluva job beta'ing this puppy. And props to **mylittlesecret84** who read and reviewed and gave me con/crit too. - smooches!

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

"**In the face of the unexpected, you never know what's going to happen tomorrow." – "Jericho's Fall, by Stephen Carter**

"_**Bottom line is, even if you see them coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So, what are we, helpless? Puppets? Nah. The big moments are gonna come, you can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that count. That's when you find out who you are."**_

_**-- Joss Whedon **_

"**Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."**

**--Matthew 6:34**

**­­­­­­­­­Chapter 7 – TLC: In The Face Of The Unexpected**

**BPOV**

Bella had just stepped out of the shower on Sunday morning when her cellphone shimmied off her nightstand onto her foot. She picked it up. It was Angela.

"Hey Bellaboo." Angela used the nickname that she only tolerated from Angela.

"Ange! Good morning." Bella plopped down in the chair in front of her dresser, her towel tumbling loose and falling haphazardly around her midsection in the chair.

"It's 2:30 in the afternoon here, Bella." Angela teased.

"Well, it's 8:30 a.m. in Tallahassee and I'm getting ready to go to church to see the new _man _in my life lead worship this morning." Bella grinned, looking like the cat that'd eaten the canary, and began applying moisturizer to her face.

"Damn, that was fast. Ben and I must have gone through a wormhole on that Trans-Atlantic flight. How did things change so dramatically in twenty-four hours? Spill, girl." Angela smiled too, sounding anxious.

"Hey, you remember me telling you about James, that guy from Atlanta? You know the son of a friend of my Dad's?" She hoped Angela remembered, because she really didn't have time to go into a whole lot of detail.

"That ponytail-wearing, martial arts loving, hottie you had a crush on?" Angela sounded uncertain.

"Yeah, except he's ditched the ponytail and is even hotter than ever," Bella grabbed a brush off her dresser and began whipping her hair out of the bun she'd hastily done while in the shower. "Anyway, they came to Tallahassee to interview with this Church here, and there was a party at Alice's last night. He told me that he'd always wanted to be with me, but he had gone through a really dark time back then and wasn't prepared to be in a relationship. Now that he's made his peace with God, he wants to be with me," Bella gushed.

"Wow. I don't know if I should leave you to your own devices ever again," Angela chided gently. Then sounding concerned she asked, "Are you sure this isn't moving just a little too fast? What about Edward?"

"What about him?" Bella's heart sank. Angela knew her just a little too well, she feared. Her feelings for Edward Cullen were still unresolved, despite her spur of the moment decision to allow James to pursue her romantically.

"I know Edward was initially apprehensive about being in a relationship, but I saw you two at Café Cabernet and you looked perfect together. I guess I just thought since you guys work together everyday, something would eventually work itself out."

"Angela, Edward is with Tanya. They were at the party together last night and he's made it very clear that he doesn't want to be with me. He doesn't seem to have any intention of dumping her for me. And James is a good man. We share the same spiritual beliefs, he's someone I can trust to honor my commitment to chastity. He is honest to a fault and I know he would never do anything to hurt me." Bella set her brush down on the dresser with a thud.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I should be more supportive if this is what you want. I only wish for your happiness." Angela said apologetically.

"I'm happy." Bella smiled mischievously. "And Ange, James may be a Christian man, but he sure doesn't kiss like one!."

"Oh. My. God. Really?"

"Uh…yeah." Bella blushed in spite of herself.

"Good for you. I'm glad you've got a little spice in your life again. You were working a serious dry spell, girl."

"I know, right." Bella walked into her closet and started sifting through her wardrobe to select something to wear. "Hey, how are things going with Ben and your Dad?"

"Oh, you know my Dad. He's trying all sorts of devious little things, but my Ben is taking him in stride." Angela's pride was evident.

"Good. See, aren't you glad you told him about your Dad, now?" Bella eyed a retro 70's navy polka dot summer sun dress with a fitted bodice, tiny lace trim, and a flirtatious skirt. She had saved it from Renee's Goodwill pile and was thrilled to finally be able to wear it. If she paired it with her white shrug it would even be modest and nice enough for church.

"Yes, I am." Angela sounded relieved.

"Hey Ange, I gotta finish getting ready. Say hello to your family for me, kay?" Bella located her white strappy sandals and exited the closet.

"OK, talk to you later in the week. Love you, Bellaboo," Angela said brightly.

"Love you too, Ange." Bella smiled.

~888~

**EPOV**

Edward woke up with a hangover, despite Emmett's valiant effort to get some much needed water into his body. However, the alcohol to water ratio must have been too great. The last time he'd had a hangover of this caliber had been when he was in the Marines, right after his best friend in the Corps died. He and Paul had bonded in basic and both wound up in Afghanistan.

They had been ambushed by Taliban forces in the desert south of Kandahar on their way back to Camp Rhino from a reconnaissance mission. Paul was hit by a round of mortar that severed him in two. Paul's final act of bravery was when he had pushed Edward out of harm's way. Edward himself had sustained injuries, but they rallied to win that skirmish.

With his ears still ringing and a piece of shrapnel in his lower back, lodged perilously close to his spleen, Edward had taken out more than a dozen Taliban soldiers with his M40A3 bolt-action sniper rifle. What was left of Paul was shipped home to his folks in Connecticut, and Edward was shipped to MEDCOM in Landstuhl, Germany to recuperate.

He cut his stay at Landstuhl short and flew out of Ramstein AFB to Connecticut to pay his respects to Paul's family. That was one of the hardest things Edward had ever done. When "Taps" was played and the folded flag was placed in Paul's Mom's waiting arms, he'd wept inconsolably. At that moment he had been thinking he needed to get the hell out of the Marines. He wouldn't wish that type of homecoming on his mother, no matter how screwed up her religious dogma was.

Thinking about Paul and the ultimate sacrifice he'd made for him, Edward was still unable able to wrap his head around the finality of it. Edward was here because Paul had made a choice that led to his death. Paul used to paraphrase a Scripture that Edward had heard a lot growing up, "greater love has no man than this, that he lay his life down for his friends." That had not just been a quote for Paul; he had lived it, and then died exercising that belief.

When Edward thought about Bella, he could almost understand what Paul had done for him. He would take a bullet for her, and die a gruesome agonizing death for her. And on his way to whatever destiny awaited him in the afterlife, he would do everything within his power to take any misguided soul who tried to hurt her along with him.

Edward rolled out of bed. He had managed to strip down to his boxers after Emmett left last night. His clothes were in a heap next to his bed. He stepped over them and went into the bathroom. After relieving his aching bladder, he found some extra strength Tylenol in his medicine cabinet and took four with a large glass of water.

In the light of a new day, despite the fact that he had a ferocious hangover, Edward was sobered by the decision he'd made the night before. He would finally do what his therapist in Terre Haute had suggested. He would find a psychologist in Tallahassee and finally deal with his abandonment and commitment issues, even if it meant confronting the two people who had given him life, but had been physically and emotionally distant from him for the better part of that life.

His phone rang, just as he was polishing off a couple of pieces of wheat toast and a cup of black coffee. It was Jasper.

"Hey, Edward." Jasper had to be one of the happiest people alive. No, he wasn't just happy, he seemed to be optimistic all the time. He had a quiet joy that was a nice counterbalance to Alice's energetic joy.

"Hey, Jazz." Edward smiled sheepishly.

"We were about to head out to church this morning, but my beautiful bride is worried about her favorite cousin, so I wanted to put her mind at ease." Jasper's diplomatic way of asking, _How the hell are you?_

"Man, I'm sorry I got trashed at your party last night. That was so not…right."

Edward hoped Jasper understood that he had not been himself last night. He had been so taken by surprise seeing Bella there with that James character, who was obviously making fast moves on her, he hadn't been able to see straight. He'd tried to look like he was all cool with it, but the more he looked at them sitting in that big ass chair together, James with his arm thrown possessively around her shoulders, he hadn't been able to take it. Then when she told him she was moving on, he had been undone. He hadn't been able to get enough scotch into him.

"Hey, we all do things that are out of character from time to time," Jasper said. "No harm, no foul."

"Please apologize to Alice for me," Edward implored.

"Sure thing," Jasper replied without hesitation. "You know you're welcome to go with us this morning, right?"

"Yeah, thanks for the offer, but, uh...I'm going out to Crawfordville this morning." His refusal was practically rote now.

"Some other time, then?" Jasper just wouldn't give up.

"Maybe...Hey, I'm really glad you called, Jasper. I was gonna' call you later." Edward decided that now was as good a time as any to make good on his promise. "Um…Can I get the name and number of that psychologist friend of yours you were telling me about a few months ago?"

~888~

At 11:30 Edward found himself headed to Crawfordville to his mother's home. She would be at church, so he would have the baby grand all to himself. Playing the piano was one of the most therapeutic things he could do, and today he was in need of some major therapy of the ivory tinkling kind.

He was on the street leading to his mother's home when he noticed a black car in his rearview mirror. Something about the way they drove, reminded Edward of Feds in surveillance mode. He slowed his pace significantly. They passed him and he waited until they were around the bend before he pulled quickly into the private drive.

Edward came to a stop at the end of winding driveway of what had been his childhood home from the age of ten until he was fifteen. He thought he saw the black car pass the house again, from his rearview mirror. He frowned, and decided to pull his car around back, where he entered through the kitchen. He went directly to the parlor where the piano was.

Edward began his solitary piano recital by playing Debussy's 2 Arabesques, both _Arabesque No. 1 and No. 2_. He followed these pieces with _Reverie_and then the entire Suite bergamasque to include _Prelude_, _Menuet_, _Claire de lune_ and _Passepied_.

He was playing _Valse Romantique_ when he heard his mother and a couple of other voices coming into the house. He had to get out of there. He _did not_want to talk to any acolytes of the Church of the Greater Son this morning. He abruptly stopped playing. When he heard them go through to the kitchen, he grabbed his keys off the top of the piano and was getting ready to bolt out the front door, but ran smack into his Uncle Carlisle.

"Edward," Carlisle was genuinely happy to see him. "I thought I heard you playing back here."

"Uncle Carlisle," Edward said relieved. "It's good to see you. Is Aunt Esme with you?"

"Yes, she and Elizabeth are heating up a fabulous lunch your mother prepared for us before she met us at St. John's this morning."

Edward was taken aback, "My mother went to St. John's with you and Aunt Esme?"

"Why yes, she's visited with us a couple of times in the last month." Then Carlisle leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Just between you and me and the fencepost, I believe she's becoming quite disenchanted with the Church of the Greater Son."

Edward's jaw would have dropped even further if it were possible. "If I were a believer in miracles, this would definitely be considered one."

"I'd like to think it's the result of the power of prayer," Carlisle said humbly. "Esme and I, as well as Alice and Jasper, have kept your mother, my brother, and you in our hearts and prayers for years."

"That's great, Uncle Carlisle," Edward said uncomfortably. "Uh…Thanks."

"You should join us for lunch," Carlisle offered graciously. "I'm sure Elizabeth prepared more than enough."

"I hope my son knows he's always welcome home for any meal," Elizabeth said. Edward peered over Carlisle's shoulder to see his mom smiling. Her red hair was pulled up into its usual Sunday up-do with tendrils escaping strategically and framing her lovely face. Her green eyes, just a shade lighter than her son's, shone brightly.

Carlisle turned and stepped aside, as Elizabeth closed the distance between herself and Edward. Their embrace, albeit brief and decidedly awkward, was a definite departure from the usual. Edward recalled the last time his mother had hugged him. He had been ten and crying because his Dad had left them.

"You will stay, won't you, Edward?" She looked hopeful.

"Um, yeah....Sure." He said running his hand through his hair, then promptly shoving his hands into his pockets.

~888~

**BPOV**

Bella sat next to Laura and Dan Hall and watched their son lead the church in a time of worship that was awe-inspiring. He began with a simple prayer and then lead them in four songs; "You Are Everything" by Matthew West, "In Better Hands" by Natalie Grant, "Love Is Here" by Tenth Avenue North, and "Praise You In The Storm" by Casting Crowns. Bella was extremely pleased with his song choices.

Intermittently, between songs, James shared bits of his personal testimony and scriptures that helped him during his darkest hours. He spoke clearly and without shame of his addiction and the subsequent healing that he categorized as other worldly, his humility and sincerity touching many in the congregation. Bella saw tears in many eyes, including his parents, and she was hearing some details she had not heard before.

Back at her parents' for lunch, they shared a meal of Cobb Salad and Tomato Bisque soup. The Halls were encouraged by the response they received from the congregants at Reformed Baptist, and were waiting for a call in the afternoon with a decision.

The call came when they were lounging in the sitting room having an after dinner drink, while James had a diet coke. Reformed Baptist formally invited Dr. Hall to be their Pastor and James as their Contemporary Music Pastor. There were hugs and congratulations all around.

Then Dan Hall came over to share a final bit of information with James. "Son, they want you here next Sunday, because their Traditional Music Pastor will be out with his wife, they're having their first baby. Your Mom and I have three weeks to pack up, list the house and get over here."

"Wow, that's fast." James said.

"Looking forward to working with you, son." Rev. Hall shook James' hand. His eyes were shiny with tears and he struggled to keep them at bay. James gave his Dad a hug and patted him loudly on the back. Rev. Hall then ambled back over to the sofa to join his wife and the Swans.

James looked at Bella, the happiness evident despite his current dilemma.

Bella smiled, "He is so proud of you."

James was reflective. "I'm just happy that I have finally given him something to be proud of."

"Most of the time, just being who we are makes our parents proud. That was just magnified when you allowed God to restore you to the man you were meant to be."

"Yeah, don't I know it?" He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm gonna' have to get back prior to Sunday to try and find a place to live. Any suggestions, Bella?"

Bella smiled. "I can get some info together for you and email it tonight."

Within the next hour, the Halls had packed up, loaded the SUV and were preparing to journey back to Atlanta and begin their packing to move swiftly. Bella and James said their goodbyes in the sitting room while the parents were otherwise occupied. She was not drawing any attention to them as a couple, just yet. James was nice enough to humor her.

However, when she walked him out to the SUV and her parents were saying goodbye to his, he stole another kiss. Renee looked up and saw them as they were parting and Bella blushed profusely.

"I couldn't help myself," he said. "Bella, you are just too beautiful for your own good."

"You need to behave. I think our parents have had enough excitement for one weekend. My mom saw us, so I'm sure I'll be grilled when you guys leave." Bella lowered her gaze and James captured her in a hug before pulling back quickly.

"Maybe we should just let them know right now that we're going to be dating."

"No!" Bella's response was immediate and abrupt. "Let's just have them discover it in the natural course of things. I can't take being put on the spot right now."

"OK," he agreed amicably. "Just so you know, I'll probably be back on Thursday. But let me just take care of a little something while we have a minute." He took his cell phone and snapped a picture of her.

"No fair," Bella complained. "I wasn't ready for that."

He looked at his phone screen. "No worries. See, it's perfect."

Bella looked at herself smiling happily, her hair a bit fuzzy from the humidity.

"I'll see what I can do to get you a better photo sometime." She teased.

"Let's hit the road." Rev. Hall said from the front passenger seat loud enough for his son to hear.

"I'll text you from the road, when I get a driving break." James said to Bella, smiling. He touched her cheek briefly and then hopped into the car.

~888~

**EPOV**

Edward had forgotten what a good cook his mother was. It had been quite a long time since they had shared a meal together. Carlisle and Esme kept the conversation flowing, otherwise lunch with his mother might have been a rather dismal affair.

His mother did manage to ask him how work was going, so he told her about his new job as liaison at the Center.

"That sounds like a fascinating ministry," Elizabeth said. "I hoped you would be working at a place like that either here at home or overseas, but as a minister. You have many wonderful gifts to offer the world, son."

"I believe the gift I'm giving them now is one of safety. That is important, too, right?"

"Well, if you put it that way, yes, I believe that is a wonderful gift." Elizabeth smiled.

Edward couldn't believe his ears. His mother had not gone out of her way to prove him wrong about something he'd said.

"Alice also volunteers at City of Hope, Elizabeth." Esme offered. "She loves the children there and the Director, Bella, Pastor Swan's daughter, and Alice have become great friends."

Edward listened intently as they talked about Bella, really singing her praises. He had no idea that his Aunt and Uncle knew her so well. He could recall every detail of Bella's beautiful face and body in his mind at will and he was going over her features in his mind, when he was shocked out of his reverie.

Carlisle asked him a question. "What does Bella have planned for the end of the school year, Edward? Esme and I have some charitable funds available, and we'd like them to go to an organization that we trust."

"We discussed having a Debussy concert in a few weeks, and I understand from the residents that there's a big end of the year school festival they will be having on the grounds on Memorial Day weekend."

"Great," Carlisle said with enthusiasm. "I'll call Charlie Swan tomorrow and work out the details for donating."

"Does that mean you'll be playing, Edward?" Esme asked.

"Yeah, Bella thought it would be good for the kids to hear a live performance of the music she's been sharing with them," Edward answered dutifully.

"That's wonderful," his mother said smiling.

"You know this means we will have to come, of course." Esme said with a conspiratorial grin.

Edward took a big gulp of water from his glass. "L-let me just clear that with Bella first," he said nervously. He wanted to talk to Bella, apologize for his behavior at the party and smooth things over with her before he started inviting people to come out to the concert.

~888~

When Carlisle and Esme were leaving, Edward was inclined to leave with them, but then thought better of it, and lingered in the living room until his mother saw them out. Now would be the perfect time to tell her that he was going to have to talk to her while he was going through therapy. Looking around the room, he realized there wasn't much that had changed about the house since he'd moved away years ago. His mother still had her French Provincial antique furniture displayed there. The drapes and some of the fixtures were new, but her style remained largely unchanged.

He looked up as she called his name when she came back through the door. "Edward," she said breathlessly. "I'm so glad you stayed. I don't see you near as often as I'd like."

_Who was this woman? What fucking former evil Disney genius had replaced his mother with this Stepford Wife?_

Edward eying her warily, defended his visit frequency. "I come by and play every couple of weeks."

"The baby grand sees you, I don't." Elizabeth smiled and perched on the settee.

Edward ran his hand nervously through his hair. He didn't know whether to sit or stand. It depended on how fucked up or not this conversation was going to turn out. Shoving his hands deep into his pockets he smiled crookedly at her.

"I guess I was always afraid I was going to have to hear another Church of the Greater Son sermon if I hung around too long." He chose to be honest, because what the hell. He didn't have a damn thing to lose.

"I'm sure I deserve that and much more from you, son. I have done some real soul-searching as of late. Carlisle, Esme and I have been meeting weekly for a family Bible Study and they have shown me some things that I have been blind to for a very long time."

"Such as?" Edward was dubious.

"Sit down, son. This might take a while." Elizabeth gestured to a Louis XV chair for him to sit in adjacent to her.

Edward sat and listened as his mother explained to him how she had been drawn into Church of the Greater Son, believing that it was a legitimate church. She had been so hurt by his father that she was drawn to them because they offered her unconditional love, or so she thought. Bishop Aro Volturi's brother, Caius had recruited her in Indianapolis. But is was Aro who made her one of their inner circle and encouraged her to move to Florida where he and his brother Marcus had a larger following. Through the years, she had followed them blindly and had married Aro's brother, Marcus at his behest, not figuring out until after his death that he was doing so only to take control of her money.

When Elizabeth had finally gotten up the courage to mention her fears to Carlisle, he had put her in touch with the FBI. An investigation was launched and they had uncovered evidence that pointed to various illegal activities. Then Carlisle and Esme had begun to minister to Elizabeth by deprogramming her of all the half-truths and false doctrine they had taught her at Church of the Greater Son. They'd had months of Bible Study and prayer together. However, Elizabeth had to continue to go to Church of the Greater Son so Aro wouldn't become suspicious of her.

Fortuitously, Marcus had passed away a couple of years ago, before Edward had returned home when she was sick, so he had not been able to pilfer away as much of the Masen fortune as Aro desired. When Marcus died, Elizabeth had taken control of the finances again and their Accountant revealed everything that Marcus had been up to before his demise. As it turned out, he was using their accounts not only to fund some illegal activities, but also to launder some funds that were procured illegally as well.

Since that time, Aro had been doing everything he could to gain access to her money. Although he was married, he had been desperate enough to try to convince her to be his mistress, which she'd shunned. However, as recent as a couple of weeks ago he had still been posturing to get close enough to her to continue the swindling his brother had begun. Elizabeth had finally seen the ugly face of the Church of the Greater Son that revealed them as the cult they were.

Edward was becoming increasingly angry as he heard the story. "I am going to kick Aro's ass," he said through clenched teeth.

"Now, Edward," Elizabeth said. "There's no need for violence. And watch your language, please. I have been talking to a gentleman with the FBI and together with the ATF they feel like they have enough evidence against Church of the Greater Son to make a case."

"Mom," Edward said softly. "I'm glad you're cooperating with the authorities on this. Have they provided protection for you?"

"Yes, they have a couple of agents watching the house twenty-four hours a day. They should be able to make some arrests in a couple of weeks."

"I think I saw their car when I was coming in today. I'll hang around a couple of days until that happens," Edward decided. "Mom, why didn't you tell me about this before now?"

"I guess I just didn't want to hear 'I told you so' from my son," Elizabeth said embarassedly. Then she was sad. "Marcus was unbelievably cruel to you, Edward, and I stood aside and watched and did nothing about it. I have asked God's forgiveness for that, and now I'm asking for yours."

Edward was reeling with everything his mother had just shared with him, then to top it all off she wanted him to forgive her of the cruelty he'd suffered at the hands of her dead husband. He was not there yet.

"Ask me again in a few weeks," he said stiffly. When he looked back into his mothers eyes, she was crying.

"Aw hell," he muttered. He joined her on the settee. It felt awkward, but he pulled her in for a hug to comfort her. "Mom, I've got a lot of sh- stuff to work out, before I can even know how to forgive what happened between us, with Marcus, and even with Dad. I'm gonna' need to talk through some things with you. They may not be easy things to talk through, but I need this. You understand what I'm saying?"

She pulled away and looked at him. "Yes. Are you going to a therapist, then?"

"I will be as soon as they'll take me," he answered truthfully.

"Carlisle says I should go to one, too. I will after all this business with Fellowship of The Son is over."

_Miracle number three. Elizabeth Masen Cullen Volturi was ready to talk about her problems to someone other than _her god_, the one created by Joseph Walker Volturi, Aro's great grandfather?_

Edward stood up again. "I'm glad you're willing to get some help, Mom. We'll both be better off for it."

Elizabeth asked hesitantly, "Will you be back for dinner?"

"Yeah, I'm just gonna' go back to Tallahassee to pick up some things. I'll be back around six. That good?

"Yes," Elizabeth smiled. Edward saw his mother look happy for the first time in a very long time.

~888~

A/N: **Landstuhl** (German pronunciation: [ˈlantʃtuːl]) is a municipality of over 9,000 people in southwestern Germany. It is part of the district of Kaiserslautern, in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the north-western edge of the Palatinate forest, approx. 10 km west of Kaiserslautern. It is perhaps best known in the United States of America because of the U.S. Army's medical installation. The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. Army Medical Command(MEDCOM) post, is often the first stop for American casualties leaving the ongoing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ramstein Air Base is also located nearby.

**John 15:13 (New International Version)**

**13**Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

**Navy Polka Dot Dress: See my profile for this.**

**James' Worship Songs:**

"You Are Everything" by Matthew West: wwwdotyoutubedotcom/watch?v-X43XXpItGk0

"In Better Hands" by Natalie Grant: wwwdotyoutubedotcom/watch?v-yK1Q6zoqDE

"Praise You Through The Storm," by Casting Crowns: wwwdotyoutubedotcom/watch?v-xGPS8sa-bRQ

"Love Is Here" by Tenth Avenue North: wwwdotyoutubedotcom/watch?v=rYrKEtsc_CQ

_**The Stepford Wives**_ is a 2004 black comedy/science fiction film. The film is a remake of the 1975 film of the same name; both films are based on the Ira Levin novel _The Stepford Wives_. While the original film and book had tremendous cultural impact, the remake was marked by behind-the-scenes infighting and was dismissed by critics. The film was directed by Frank Oz with a screenplay by Paul Rudnick and stars Nicole Kidman, Glenn Close, Matthew Broderick, Christopher Walken, Roger Bart, Faith Hill, Bette Midler and Jon Lovitz.


	9. Ch 8 TLC: A Time For Everything

**A/N: Thanks to SSHG316, my kindred spirit and keeper of secrets, for the beautiful banner which now graces TLC on Twilighted. This was a gift that I didn't expect, but appreciate more than you know (or maybe you do, considering how much I gushed over it). Heartfelt thanks to SSHG316, acireamos and Charmie77 for beta'ing and helping me in ways that encourage and inspire me. You each have unique strengths that illuminate my writing. Get well Charmie77 and come back to play; you and acireamos were the first authors on this fandom to embrace me and I will be forever grateful for that.**

**Review now so you can help decide James' fate**. I know that there are hundreds of people reading this story. If this chapter gets at least 50 reviews, I'll poll the reviews and let you tell me what should happen to James.

Do you want him to stay good and be humanely dumped by Bella, or

Do you want him to be bad and let Bella viciously dump him?

You decide, and you can't vote if you don't review. And you don't get to decide if I don't get at least 50 reviews. Come on, review me. You know you wanna.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I am just living vicariously through them.

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**Turn, Turn, Turn **

**The Byrds **

To everything (turn, turn, turn)  
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)  
And a time for every purpose, under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die  
A time to plant, a time to reap  
A time to kill, a time to heal  
A time to laugh, a time to weep

A time to gain, a time to lose  
A time to rend, a time to sew  
A time to love, a time to hate  
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late

**--Lyrics from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8**

**­­­­­­­­­Chapter 8 – TLC: ****A Time For Everything**

**EPOV**

Edward's Monday morning prior to reporting for duty had been a definite change to his routine. He woke up rather disoriented, because he wasn't at his own place. Just the realization that he was in his old room in his mother's home deflated the obligatory morning wood, and taking a refreshing shower after a jog through greater Crawfordville invigorated him. His mother made a breakfast big enough to feed four people, she seemed so happy to have him there. He felt like he was ten again.

After breakfast, Edward called Jasper's psychologist friend, Dr. Ira Levy, or rather his office, to set up an appointment. They had a cancellation on Wednesday morning, and Edward was glad that he was able to snag an appointment so soon. In Terre Haute he'd had to wait three weeks to get an appointment. He couldn't decide if it was a good or a bad omen. Talking to Dr. Levy would undoubtedly open up a chapter in his life that he thought was closed a long time ago, and he wasn't looking forward to revisiting any of the emotion associated with it. Fuck it. He had three days to mentally prepare for the onslaught. He would attack that shit like the devil dog that he was.

_Oohrah!_

If he kept his eye on the prize, he felt like he could do anything, including talk to that asshat, that biological lottery draw that was his father. Bella was more than worth it. She was worth going to hell and back just to get a chance at her; she was the epitome of everything he could ever desire.

He had never been interested in a woman before on this level. Not only did he love the sexy little package she came in, but he actually wanted to know everything about her. He wanted entrance into her mind, her intellect, her ability to see things through rose-colored glasses, even her faith in humanity. Her voice was like a melody playing in his mind. He could talk to her forever and not run out of words to say or tire of hearing her speak whatever was on her mind.

Bella definitely kept him on his toes because she didn't suffer fools or endure drama gladly. When she'd told him she was moving on after he'd taken all his marbles back and run home like a scared little boy, he had never seen her look so beautiful or wanted a woman more than at that moment. And that Cam Gigandet-looking motherfucker had capitalized on that shit. He'd called them "like-minded men" or some shit, like he was the end all and be all for Bella. Edward was certain that he and Bella had shared a powerful connection at Café Cabernet, and granted, he had ruined it like the motherfucker he was, but he was determined to turn that shit around, beginning today. It would be his new mission.

He had to do one other thing before he headed over to the Center. Might as well get that shit over with, too. He called Tanya. She acted all upset that he'd gone home from the party on Saturday night apart from her and hadn't bothered to call since then. He wanted to remind her that they didn't have _that _kind of relationship, but he decided he would say what he needed to say to her face to face, like the kind of man he was striving to be for Bella. She agreed to meet him at Panera Bread on the corner of Blairstone and Park Avenue before he reported for his shift.

It was not surprising that he arrived there first, so he ordered a coffee and found a table. Tanya made her grand entrance about ten minutes later. She sashayed over to the table in that unassuming runway model walk that she loved to taunt men with. Today, it didn't get the slightest rise out of him.

"Good morning, Edward," she cooed. She leaned in for a kiss, but he turned his head slightly and allowed her to barely brush his cheek. That shit pissed her off, and she put her hands on her hips and stared down at him.

"Hello, Tanya," he said. He did feel magnanimous enough to pull out a chair for her. She took the proffered seat and glared at him.

"What's with you, Edward?" She sat, taking great pains to cross her legs seductively, despite the fact that she was really supposed to be pissed off at him right now.

"Tanya." He decided to take the direct, rather than the circuitous route. "This is not working out. It's been fun, but I think we should call this off."

"You … you're dumping me?" Her tone was shrill. Some of the patrons in the restaurant turned to look at them.

"Let's not make a scene, Tanya," Edward said in an exasperated whisper. "Remember the ground rules we set. No strings. Either party can decide to call it off without advance notice and at the slightest provocation."

"You're doing this for that bitch who runs that ghetto fabulous after-school program for underprivileged brats aren't you?" she spat. "I saw how you were looking at her, Edward."

Edward's eyes hardened. "Bella is better than an infinite number of women like you, Tanya. Don't ever let me hear you say anything disparaging about her or the children in that program again."

Something in his eyes or the way he'd said it must have made Tanya realize he wasn't kidding because she started to say something, then expelled a huge frustrated sigh and just sat there, pouting angrily.

"Have you had breakfast?" he asked. He felt sorry for her. She would make some man a very handsome trophy wife and that would be the extent of her worth.

"No, I was just waking up when you called," she said, still visibly annoyed.

He stood, took a twenty out of his wallet, and laid it on the table.

"Buy yourself some breakfast, Tanya. It's on me," he said evenly and then walked out the door.

~888~

**BPOV**

Officer Cullen was waiting in the lot when Bella arrived at work on Monday. She became flushed when she saw him in all his sexy male glory because he was not the angry, drunken Edward from Saturday night. However, her discomfort at seeing him all crisp and handsome in his dark blues was exacerbated by the fact that she'd had another wacked out dream about him the night before. The dream had begun with her and James sharing chaste kisses and sweet caresses on the sofa in her parents' home, but in the midst of the dream, James had faded away and it became all white hot Edward. In a heartbeat, the dream had gone from lukewarm to steamy to a freaking seven-alarm fire.

She scolded herself when she awoke. What was wrong with her? A man who meets all of her criteria had fallen into her lap, one who made no qualms about being available and wanting the same things in life, and here she was still dreaming about Edward Cullen.

James was the model of an attentive boyfriend. She and James had texted one another early in the evening after he left, then she'd sent him the email with all the housing information he'd asked for, and he even called her to say thanks and goodnight. He was so sweet, yet here she was being disloyal to him in her dreams. Then she had a thought: she really was not tied to anyone right now. She was not even technically dating James yet, although the intent was there. Was it so wrong for her to fantasize about being with Edward Cullen?

Bella put on a beaming smile when she got out of the car, hoping to put Edward at ease. She didn't want him to think she harbored any ill feelings about Saturday night. She had promised herself that she would be his friend, and this meant being accepting of who he was and not projecting any judgment toward him.

After raking appreciatively across her form, his green eyes found hers and locked as they met on the sidewalk.

"Hey you," Bella said cheekily. "How about that party Saturday night?"

"I'm sure it was a lot more fun for those of us who didn't have to be assisted home afterwards," he snorted.

"Was that a fluke, or is that the normal party behavior for Edward Cullen?" Bella half-joked.

"Fluke, definitely. I have done a lot of things in exorbitant excess, but drinking isn't often one of them," he said wryly.

"Good," she said, shifting her purse and laptop straps onto her shoulder so she could unlock the door.

"Here, let me get that," he said, deftly taking the laptop and the key from her hand and opening the door. He stood aside for her to enter first.

Bella put her things down on her desk and turned to face him again.

"Have a seat," she offered and took hers behind the desk.

Edward set her laptop on the desk and folded himself into one of the chairs facing her desk, sitting toward the edge of the seat, resting his elbows on his knees, and steepling his hands, the tips of his fingers touching his bottom lip. He seemed deep in thought for a minute, and Bella organized her desk as she waited for him to say what he wanted to say.

"Bella, for some reason I keep finding myself in a position of having to apologize to you," he said as a preamble. His velvet voice was laced with sincerity. "My behavior at the party was atrocious. Will you forgive me?"

"Water under the bridge," she declared with a smile. "So, what did you do for the rest of the weekend?"

"Well, after I recovered from my first hangover since my leatherneck days," he said, smiling sheepishly, "I actually spent what was left of Sunday morning playing Debussy."

"Oh, that reminds me." She briefly caught her bottom lip with her teeth. "We need to get that old relic in the common area tuned." Then her eyes lit up. "Hey, would you play something for me?"

"Now?" he asked, his brows furrowing slightly. "On a poorly tuned piano?"

"Yes. Just one piece." She sprang up from her chair. "And I don't think it's hopelessly out of tune."

He followed her into the common area to the sad brown upright that was pushed into the corner. "You do understand that I am on duty right now," he said in half-hearted protest. Then he frowned. "And this has to be the ugliest piano I have ever seen." He chuckled heartily.

Bella giggled. "It is quite the eye-sore. But I have faith that you can make beautiful music on it, even if a few of the notes are tone deaf." She knew it was probably not advisable, but she used the pretty pout that Alice used on Jasper all the time. "Please, Edward."

His green eyes regarded hers softly. "As you wish, Bella."

_Did Edward Cullen just say he loved me in "Princess Bride" speak?_

Bella nervously folded her arms. She mentally shook her head as if to clear it. She then decided that she just seriously needed to stop drinking so many lattes in the morning before she came to work.

Edward sat on the stool and positioned himself. He played a major and minor scale. "This isn't as bad as it could be, but I can hear that a few keys are off just a hair and one quite a bit."

Hands resting lightly on her hips, she tapped her foot in mock impatience. "So, Maestro, what can you play for me?"

"I'll play _Reverie_, since I practiced it yesterday," he said amicably. And with that he launched into it.

Bella was enthralled at how graceful his long, sexy fingers were on the keys. She could see muscles rippling in his back underneath his shirt as his fingers made love to the ebony and ivory keys, and a lock of his bronze hair had fallen loosely onto his forehead. She wanted to reach over and run her fingers through that hair and smooth it back, but she resisted the urge.

He entered a zone where he closed his eyes and played, only softly touching the key that was horribly out of tune. Even with the Center's piano being substandard, Bella could tell that he was an extraordinary pianist. She closed her eyes, too, and got lost in the music, opening them again only when she realized he had stopped playing.

When she opened her eyes, he was looking up at her, his green eyes wistful.

A few seconds ticked by before she could speak. "Edward, even with that jacked up key that was … that was really beautiful," she said softly.

"Thanks, I think," he replied. A hint of that crooked smile was playing on his lips.

"Do you ever wish you had gone to college as a music major right out of high school and become a concert pianist? You could be touring the world, playing for heads of state … the whole nine." Bella suddenly felt the urge to feel his beautiful sculpted mouth on her own and she turned away, hoping he hadn't seen her ogling his mouth.

He slid off the piano bench and stood up. "That might have been my dream when I was ten, but circumstances didn't exactly allow me to 'hold fast the dream,' if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, that Zach Mayo existence … Hey you just paraphrased Langston Hughes, didn't you?" Bella smiled.

"Yeah, I guess I did." He ran his hand through his hair, pushing back the locks that had fallen forward onto his forehead. "I took an African American Literature class when I was at ISU."

Bella looked like she had another question.

"Don't ask," he said quickly, averting his eyes guiltily.

Bella looked at him thoughtfully.

_He must have taken that class for a girl. __Horndog._

She walked over to the closest window and started opening the blinds. She chose to resume her former line of questioning. "Why couldn't you come back here after you left your dad's?"

Edward went to the next window and opened the blinds. "Oh, well my mom was steeped in religious fanaticism back then. Her late husband was one of the leaders of this cult she became a part of just before my father left us. If I had come back to live with them then, either her husband or I would have died an untimely death." His jaw was tight, his lips pressed into a thin line.

She hesitated at the next window, looking up into his eyes. "It was that bad?"

"Marcus Volturi was a sadistic bastard, and my mother was so indoctrinated by the Church of the Greater Son, the life we lived was one of total manipulation and control. Had I remained there, I probably would have been more fu- screwed up than I am now."

"You don't see yourself very clearly, Edward." Bella pulled the blind cord on the final window. "I don't think you're as screwed up as you perceive yourself to be."

He smirked. "Tell that to some of the women I've dated."

"You mark my words, Edward Cullen. The right woman is going come along who will capture your heart so completely, you won't look back at your wild oat-sowing past." Bella was saying the words, but she didn't really want them to be true, not for any other woman.

"Is that what James has done for you, captured your heart?" he asked. She'd left herself wide open for that one.

"I guess that remains to be seen." She smiled coyly and led the way back to her office.

"Alice's parents are interested in making a donation to fund the concert and, depending on the size of the donation, maybe part of the festival on Memorial Day weekend," he said conversationally.

Bella faced him from the other side of her desk. "That's fantastic! I thought I was going to have to do some mega fundraising here in the next couple of weeks. Please let them know that they should talk to my dad or one of the Board members about the specifics. Carlisle and Esme are my heroes; I'll have to send them a nice card. How did you score a contribution from them? I'm surprised Alice didn't see …." Bella trailed off remembering that Edward didn't particularly care for Alice's prophetic gift.

"We had lunch together yesterday at my mom's. They were already considering unloading some charitable funds. They like the work you do here, Bella. And now that Alice and I have a part in it, it was a natural choice. So, Alice has been practicing her art of divination around here?" He smirked knowingly.

"Not exactly around here," Bella said smoothly. "She tends to share more with people one on one." And with that, she changed the subject.

They discussed the logistics of the concert and mutually agreed that it would take place in a couple of weeks in the common area. Bella assured Edward that they would, with Alice's mad interior design and decorating skills, transform the common area into a magical place for the children to enjoy an evening of Debussy's music. When Edward inquired if patrons of the center could attend, Bella was all for it. She even decided that they would invite other patrons to showcase what the children had learned about Debussy over the past several weeks.

The volunteers began to arrive as they finished brainstorming the concert details. Alice was the last volunteer on the premises, and she made for Bella's office when she saw Edward sitting there.

"Hey, Boss. Hey, Edward," she said, grinning widely at them.

"Alice," Edward said in greeting.

"You are just the person I need to talk to," Bella said, smiling.

Edward took that opportunity to extricate himself from what was about to become a discussion of decorating concepts, seating charts, and lighting.

He stood up as Alice plopped down in the other chair next to him. "I guess I'll leave you ladies to your event planning and begin my patrol."

Bella's eyes sought his one last time before he left. "Hey, thanks Edward," she said sincerely. It was almost as if she didn't want him to leave.

"Anytime," he said cheerfully as he strode out the door.

Alice's eyes narrowed as she watched their exchange.

When Edward was out of hearing range, Bella looked at Alice. "What?"

"You two looked pretty chummy in here," Alice said suspiciously.

"Yeah, we were chummily discussing Debussy and the concert your cousin was gracious enough to offer to do for the children here, which is why I wanted to see you. You are the chief designer and decorator for this soiree, so you need to get your butt in gear and your thinking cap on." Bella knew that talk of planning for the event would distract Alice for hours, maybe even days.

Alice's eyes lit up with sheer glee; it was an eyegasm of the highest magnitude.

Bella smirked. "I knew _that_ would get your attention."

~888~

**EPOV**

When the children were safely home and the volunteers were headed out, Edward sat in his cruiser to wait for Bella and Alice to clear the building before he went on his next perimeter sweep. They came out, Alice chattering away and Bella listening intently. He would bet a very large sum of money that it was about the upcoming events, either the concert, the festival, or both. Alice was relentless when party, event, or holiday planning of any type became her pet project. Bella looked like she needed to be rescued.

He got out of the car and ambled over to them.

"Hey, Edward." Alice pounced quickly on him with her ideas. "We really want this concert to be an elegant affair, because the children really don't get a chance to experience anything like this. So, here's the thing. We're going to dress the common area up like an auditorium; we'll even have risers on which to place the chairs for a theatre-like appearance. We'll have drapes hung around the cinderblock walls, and I'm going to refinish that piano in there and have it tuned, so it'll play perfectly for you. Now I'm going to need your measurements, so we can fit you for a tux, OK?"

Bella crossed her eyes and hung her tongue out of the side of her mouth as if to say, "Alice is killing me, rescue me Edward, please."

"Alice." Edward chuckled. "A tux? Really, I thought I'd just wear a nice pair of slacks and a shirt."

"You're going to be Debussy for the evening; you have to dress the part. Duh."

"I thought we were doing an afternoon performance?" Edward was perplexed.

"If we're going to be in evening wear, we can't very well do it in the afternoon, now can we?" Alice rolled her eyes in an exasperated manner.

Bella added sarcastically, "No, we can't _very_ well do that."

"Anyway, I reminded Bella that our youth group is having a scavenger hunt Saturday afternoon, so the concert has to be in the evening," Alice said as if hers was the only logical plan.

"Alright," Edward said diplomatically. "I'll wear the monkey suit. And bring your torturing implements with you tomorrow and we'll allow you to have your way with us in the common area before the other volunteers and the kids arrive. Right, Bella?"

He and Bella doubled over laughing.

Alice scowled, looking at them both as if she could kill them. She turned and stalked away to her car as quickly as her little legs could carry her.

They watched transfixed as she got into her car and zoomed away.

"Edward Cullen, if your off-color joke has put me in the doghouse with my best friend, I am going to borrow Alice's torturing devices, and believe me it will not be pretty," Bella warned.

"I would happily submit to any form of torture you can dream up, Ms. Swan." He smirked. Bella realized that his reply was laced with innuendo and blushed profusely.

Damn she was gorgeous. He began to play "Taps" in his head at warp speed. How fucking embarrassing would it be to spring a boner standing right in front of her in the Center parking lot?

Bella bit her bottom lip nervously and then smiled weakly. "Um ... see you tomorrow then, Edward?"

"Absolutely."

He reached for her laptop, and it startled her slightly, but she allowed him to take it from her shoulder. He then fell in step with her as she walked over to her car, pressing the keyless entry when they were a few feet from the driver's side door. She threw her purse and briefcase in and reached for the laptop. He released it into her hand and their fingers brushed together. Edward realized that his visceral reaction to her might, for the first time ever, override his "Taps" trick. If that was possible, heaven help him. This woman would truly be the death of him.

She licked her lips nervously; Edward couldn't help but follow the movement of her pink tongue brushing across them as if in slow motion. Her beautiful lips, the color of dusky rose petals and slightly swollen, were in desperate need of a thorough kissing in his opinion. He wanted to kiss her so badly he could already taste it. When words began to come out of her mouth again, he abandoned his fantasy and engaged his brain again.

"Thanks again for doing the concert. Alice really has some great ideas. If we give her free rein she can really make it special for the children." She slid into the car and started the engine.

He held her door for a moment while looking down into those gorgeous pools of molten chocolate. "Anything for you ... and Alice and the children." He smiled, shut her car door, and backed away. He watched her until she rounded the corner of the building and he couldn't see her anymore.

Fuck! Not only was he going to have to take the longest cold shower in history, but he might also need to sit his ass in a sub zero freezer and watch a fucking chick flick.

~888~

**BPOV**

Bella chastised herself again on her way home. Edward Cullen was making her lose focus. Just a touch from his hand had almost rendered her into a puddle of Jell-O. Was he a demon sent to torment her? A test of her resolve like poor Job had endured at the height of his faith? Maybe he was the male counterpart of Hosea's wife? Hosea had been commanded by God to marry a whore to demonstrate how God remained faithful even when we were faithless and whored ourselves out to every false god or wind of doctrine that came along. Was Edward her Hosea's wife? Now that she had a perfectly wonderful guy who matched every one of her ideals, why wasn't she able to push Edward Cullen out of the crevices of her mind?

Bella was lying on her sofa after having consumed a helping of chicken tetrazzini that she'd whipped up, and topped that off with a glass of white wine. She had watched some stupid reality show on television before she got tired and turned it off, then read several more chapters of _Pride and Prejudice _before she saw James' name and number pop up on her cell phone as Claire de Lune brought her head out of the book.

"Hello, Bella." He sounded so happy to be talking to her.

"James," Bella said, equally determined to be happy. "How's the packing going?"

"Ugh, painstakingly slow," he said truthfully. "However, in my defense, I've got things here in my apartment, and things at my parent's house that we have to cull out before making the big move. I kid you not; my mother hasn't thrown away anything since I was born."

Bella laughed. "Bless you. I don't even want to think about what my mother has stored for me in their attic. I was on a mission trip the last time my parents moved. Thank God for small miracles."

"I wanted to call you or text you all day today, but I knew you would be planning in the morning and busy at the center in the afternoon."

Bella shifted position on the sofa and was now lying flat on her tummy resting on her elbows. She flipped aimlessly through Pride and Prejudice as they were talking. "We were swamped at the Center today. Officer Cullen is going to play in a Debussy concert we have planned for the children."

"Talk about hidden talent," he said jokingly. "I had written him off as a hard-partying former frat boy or something."

Bella jumped to Edward's defense. "Judgmental much, James?"

"Yeah, that wasn't fair. I've only met the man once. I shouldn't allow our first meeting to completely impugn my impression of him."

"It's just that Officer Cullen is a man who has been through a lot, not unlike yourself. And I won't go into it any further because it's his personal business. Suffice it to say, he just hasn't dealt with all of his issues, yet. He is an extremely good liaison, and it's a bonus for us that he is compassionate, hard-working, and goes above and beyond the call of duty. He's even mentoring two thirteen-year-olds on his own time. Some of his life experiences will certainly be inspirational to them."

"Then I humbly take back what I said. I know you are an impeccable judge of character, Bella." His remorse was genuine, and his frankness was even more so. "I just get the feeling that if he were to show even a fraction of interest my goose would be cooked."

Bella wanted to reassure him, but it was difficult. "James, if Edward had been of that inclination, it would have happened by now. He has a girlfriend, and now I've got you."

"I can't wait to get back to Tallahassee. I want to take you out properly, and I want us to really get to know one another, Bella."

"Same here," she said shyly. "So, did any of those apartments look appealing to you?"

~888~

A/N: **Review now so you can help decide James' fate**. I know that there are hundreds of people reading this story. If this chapter gets at least 50 reviews, I'll poll the reviews and let you tell me what should happen to James.

you want him to stay good and be humanely dumped by Bella, or

you want him to be bad and force Bella to viciously dump him?

You decide, and you can't vote if you don't review. And you don't get to decide if I don't get at least 50 reviews. Come on, review me. You know you wanna.

_**The Princess Bride**_ is an American 1987 film based on the 1973 novel of the same name by William Goldman. The movie was directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by Goldman. A beautiful young woman named Buttercup (Robin Wright) lives on a farm in the fictional country of Florin. She delights in ordering the farm hand Westley (Cary Elwes) to perform chores for her. Westley's only answer is "As you wish." Eventually Buttercup realizes he really means "I love you", and she admits her love for him. When the lovely Buttercup is kidnapped by a ghastly gang intent on fermenting an international incident they find they are pursued by the Dread Pirate Roberts who just might be Westley, her one true love. Also after everyone is nasty Prince Humperdinck to whom Buttercup is now betrothed but who seems to care little for her continued survival. The stage is set for swordfights, monsters, and tortures.

**James Mercer Langston Hughes**, (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best-known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance.


	10. Ch9TLC:ImaginedSecrets&ThingsLeftUnsaid

**A/N: I want to thank once again my wonderful betas: SSHG316, Charmie77 and ****acireamos. They help me to not look stupid when I update, because they are my eyes and my inspiration. Love you ladies!**

The Dump James Contest was not successful because we only got 29 reviews. The minimum was 50. However, the majority of the reviews requested a good James, but only by a few votes. James will continue to be a polarizing character, but in this story he will be treated somewhat humanely. Give James Hall some love, ya'll!

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

"**Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid." – Fyodor Dostoyevsky**

**A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret. – Proverbs 11:13**

**Chapter 9 – TLC: ** **Imagined Secrets and Things Left Unsaid**

**EPOV**

Now that planning for the concert and the year-end festival were under way, everyone at the Center was busy, including Edward. This made for a largely "Taps"-free couple of days for him. Bella was as beautiful and desirable to him as ever, but he had not had a lot of direct contact with her, which allowed him to exercise a little more self-control. He was finding that even the contact he'd managed to have with her was bearable because he really didn't want to objectify her as he had done so, with so many other women.

Together, he and Bella had mended fences of sorts, with Alice. Bella had given Alice absolute free rein to plan the functions in any way that suited her fancy. This made it necessary for them all to come earlier and stay later to get everything done, because the homework help, tutoring, and teaching must go on.

Edward was given the task of planning security for the events. With the assistance of two new male volunteers and the one they already had, they would only have four total for the concert which was a stretch at that. The year-end festival would require reinforcement by his colleagues on the force, and he would need to talk to Captain Black about that.

Edward's first appointment with Dr. Levy had been just as he expected: an introduction and little else. They shared pleasantries, personal information, and then discussed where Edward was in the SWIRL. S.W.I.R.L. is an acronym which stands for the five stages of abandonment: Shattering, Withdrawal, Internalizing, Rage, and Lifting.

Edward knew that he was planted firmly where he had been when he left treatment in Terre Haute, ping-ponging between Internalizing and Rage all the time, and as far as he knew, he had never gotten to the Lifting stage.

Dr. Levy pointed out to him that by making a decision to work through some of his issues again, he was actually practicing one of the most important AkeRu exercises; he was taking the steps necessary to deconstruct his "outer child" defenses allowing him to change his behavior, resolve his insecurities, and become "unstuck." His homework was to create a five-point action plan to move him toward Lifting to remove any barriers that might increase his capacity for love.

Edward wanted to tell Dr. Levy that he was already moving in that direction, but decided he would save that for a later session. There was still a shitload of work he had to do before he could pursue Bella in earnest and he was anxious to get it started. He surprised Dr. Levy when he requested two sessions per week, rather than a weekly session.

"Anxious aren't we, Edward?" Dr. Levy teased. "Is there someone special providing the driving force for your desire to resume therapy now, and at such an accelerated pace?"

Ira Levy was approximately thirty five, average height and weight, with a prematurely receding hair line. His expressive face made him look oddly like he was always surprised about something. That fact alone made Edward at ease with him.

"There is," Edward smiled. Then he proclaimed earnestly, "However, I am extremely tired of living life like I'm alone in this world. I need to be a better man for myself before I can be the kind of man she needs me to be."

Dr. Levy looked very pleased. "That admission wins you half the battle, Edward."

On Thursday morning, Edward remembered that he needed to talk to Captain Black about security at the Center for the year-end festival when he checked in at the Precinct. He also wanted to inquire about Aro Volturi and the Church of the Greater Son, as well as follow up on a lead about who was supplying drugs at City of Hope Apartment Community. If anyone on the force would know about an impending Federal bust of a local cult, and be aware of the local drug dealers, Captain Black was definitely the man.

Edward stopped at his shared precinct desk and booted up the desktop. He ran a few names on the NCIC database to see if there were any hits for criminal activity for Aro Volturi, Laurent Beauvoir, and hey, what the fuck, why not run James Hall through to see if the holy man was clean. While that was running, he grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to Captain Black's office.

Edward saw that the Captain had his head buried in a file, but as soon as he noticed Edward at his door, he set it down on the desk, looking almost relieved.

"What's up, Cullen?" he inquired. "You about ready to bail on City of Hope? It became too much of a handful pretty quick for the last several liaisons we've had over there."

"Not yet." Edward smirked. "I think it's growing on me."

"Sit down," Captain Black said, gesturing toward the chair in front of his desk. "Well, you give me hope that I will eventually be able to keep a man in that assignment. What can I do you for, Cullen?"

Edward sat in the chair and crossed his right leg over his left knee, forming a makeshift table on which to balance the forearm of the hand holding his coffee mug. "It's both a police and personal matter, you might say. Have you ever heard of the Church of the Greater Son?"

"Yeah, pseudo-religious outfit founded by a nut job by the name of Aro Volturi. Word is they've secured a federal indictment. Church of the Greater Son is going down. What? You're not one of theirs are you?"

"No, not since I was fifteen," Edward said truthfully. "But my mother was still very much a part of the church until a few months ago when she contacted the Feds to report some potentially illegal activities she'd discovered in her personal accounts. Her late husband, Marcus, was Aro's brother."

"Smart lady. 'Bout time somebody blew the whistle," Captain Black said appreciatively. "The Feds have been after that outfit for years."

"How soon do you think they'll wrap this up?" Edward asked.

"That is the $364,000.00 question. They might need some reinforcements from us. If they come calling, you want in?" Captain Black picked up the file he'd been reading and slid it in his desk drawer.

"Yeah, I'd want nothing more than to be a part of taking that greedy bastard down," Edward hissed through clenched teeth.

"Can you keep a cool head on this thing, Cullen?" Captain Black looked skeptical.

"The Church of the Greater Son stole too much from my family that can't be repaid. I want in on this, Captain." Edward drained his coffee cup in one swallow and worked to keep his temper in check.

Captain Black must have been satisfied, because he relented. "All right. I'll remember you if they do call. They expect Volturi to be something akin to David Koresh. They can probably use your skill set. I'd hit the range for some target practice if I were you."

"Thanks, I'll get right on that," Edward said eagerly. He ran his hand through his hair and planted both feet on the floor, sliding toward the edge of the seat. "One more thing, Captain. They're having an end of year festival at City of Hope, and we'll probably need some extra muscle Memorial Day Weekend. Can you spot us?"

"I'll try to wrangle you some volunteers, Cullen." Captain Black smiled. "You can count me in, too."

"Really? Thanks, Captain Black." Edward stood up.

"The Swans are good people. I went to High School with Renee. We tried to set our children up on a date, but they weren't compatible, I guess. Great friends though." Captain Black seemed really disappointed.

Edward frowned in commiseration and wisely changed the subject. "I've been hearing a name over at City of Hope from some of the teens selling drugs over there. Ever heard of a Laurent Beauvoir?"

"Yes, unfortunately. His parents were Haitian immigrants, but Laurent was born in the states. Parents were both druggies. Father was a Heroin addict. OD'd. Kid was shipped off to live with his grandmother in Miami when his mother succumbed to AIDS. Been picked up a couple of times here and in Miami. We've never gotten anything to stick to him. Lawyer's up and he's out in 24 every time," Captain Black said morosely.

"I'm running him through the database now. As if we didn't have enough risk factors to worry about over there, looks like Beauvoir's trying to make City of Hope into a little Miami. I'll be keeping an eye out for him." Edward exited the Captain's office.

Back at his desk, Edward picked up the reports generated for him on Laurent Beauvoir and Aro Volturi. There were no surprises on either of those two. Their rap sheets were quite extensive. What he found surprising was a rap sheet on one James Hall. That pretty boy preacher had a possession of a controlled substance charge in Fulton County, Georgia.

_Fuck me!_

Bella was dating a small-time criminal, possibly a fucking drug addict. This shit just wouldn't do. How would he go about telling her this? Then he realized, he couldn't tell her. She would want to know why and how he came up with the information and then she would be pissed at him for running it. And the last thing he wanted to do was allow a goat-fuck of a situation like this to push her away from him. Maybe he could ask Alice. He picked up his cellphone and punched Alice on speed dial.

"Edward," Alice said cheerily. "Are you already at the Center?"

"I'll be on my way shortly," he said quickly. "Hey, I just wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, go ahead."

"How much do you know about James Hall?"

"Well, I only know what I know because he and Jasper talked quite a bit the other night and Jasper really likes him. His father and Bella's went to Seminary together, and their families have known one another for a long time. He was a champion martial artist until an injury took him out in college. He went through a rough time, was addicted to painkillers until he went to a Christian Rehabilitation Center a few years ago. He's been clean ever since. He has a powerful testimony," Alice ticked off casually.

"He also pleaded no contest to a possession charge a few years ago. That disposition smacks of a plea bargain or daddy calling in a favor, but he got two years probation on the contingency of completing court-ordered rehabilitation."

"And why were you running him through the system, Edward?" Alice asked a slight edge to her voice.

"Alice, this guy is dating your best friend. Aren't you concerned that he might be pretending to be something he's not?"

"Edward, if he was any Joe Schmo, yes, I would be concerned. But James is a believer. He shares this freely with other people so they won't make the same mistakes he did."

"I don't care what he believes. I'm concerned about Bella and how he could hurt her, Alice. So, you're not going to do anything about this?"

"No, cousin, that would be meddling in my friend's personal business. You had your chance with her, Edward, and you passed, so you have no right to dictate to her who she can and can't see. Besides, you've got Ms. Svengali. You can't have your cake and eat it too."

"Alice, I broke it off with Tanya. We're not seeing each other anymore."

"Oh, well, still doesn't give you the right to run background checks on men interested in Bella. She would rip you a new one if she knew about this, you know."

"Yeah, which is exactly why I need you to talk to her," he said in a pleading tone.

"Oh no, and how am I supposed to know about his felony charge? Won't fly, Edward."

"Well, since I can't talk to her, and you won't talk to her, then I'll talk to him."

"About what?"

"We're just gonna have a little chat about life and whether he loves his or not. I'm gonna be nice and friendly like the local sheriff used to talk to newcomers to town in the old west. Then, I'm gonna tell him how far I'm gonna put my foot up his ass if he does anything to hurt Bella."

~888~

**BPOV**

Bella couldn't believe it was already Thursday and James would be returning to Tallahassee today. They'd talked last night for more than an hour, and she'd had to make him get off the phone because she knew he would be driving in and would be tired if he didn't get enough sleep. They talked about everything from favorite music to books and things they liked to do. They had a fair amount of things in common, and Bella really liked his sense of humor. He told her hilarious stories about his days at Georgia State, while she swapped stories with him about Spelman. They'd made tentative plans to have dinner together tonight, and she was excited that they would finally have a real date.

The last few days with Edward at work had been, in a word, tolerable. The few interactions they'd had were mostly work-related, and he had been a perfect gentleman. There was an undercurrent of sexual tension between them that was undeniable, but she wasn't ready to admit yet that her feelings for him went any further than that. She was determined to find out if having a man around who wanted her would make a difference.

Edward Cullen had sent her enough mixed signals to confuse a flock of migrating birds. James was single-minded, focused, never played any games, and knew exactly what he wanted and how to go after it. It felt nice to be chased after instead of constantly trying to figure a man out. Logically, James was the obvious choice for her because he was the only choice. Edward was still unavailable and currently "friend with benefits" with one Tanya Denali. Bella wondered how Edward could be involved with a woman without feelings, or warmth...without love. While she didn't subscribe to the idea that all men were dogs like some of her friends, she was convinced that they were wired differently and given to respond to the visual more readily than their female counterparts.

Alice was taking her new duties seriously and was putting in more hours than anyone else to make the two upcoming events the successes they would undoubtedly be under her direction. Today was no exception. She was second only to Bella arriving at the Center. She stored her purse and personal items in her locker and sought Bella out in her office.

"Hey there, girlfriend." Alice practically floated in smiling widely at Bella. "What ya doin'?"

"Crazy busy as always," Bella answered dryly. She was finishing up her newsletter that she sent to the center patrons each month. Then she smiled at Alice and did a funky little "Cabbage Patch" move in her chair. "But James is coming back today. We're going to dinner tonight at Cypress after he settles into his new place."

"Fancy!" Alice crooned and sat daintily in a chair in front of Bella's desk.

"Well, he wanted to celebrate his new job, new home, new woman in his life...." Bella giggled. "I am such a dork."

"It's about time you got excited about a man again. You need a little 'something something' to get your groove back, Stella Bella." Alice said it so fast, it sounded like "sump-in sump-in."

"I am due for a little groove, aren't I?" Bella frowned. "If I weren't having those freaking dreams, I would be severely make-out deprived."

"You're _still_ having those dreams?" Alice said, a look of shock on her cherubic face.

"Yes, every couple of days, or so," Bella said, annoyed.

"And who's starring in them now?"

Bella bit her bottom lip and looked away from Alice and around the room, as if she hadn't heard the question.

"It's still Edward, isn't it?" Alice pressed.

Bella sighed a deep and laborious sigh. "Yes, but James is there now sometimes… in the beginning."

"I could kill my cousin," Alice declared.

"Why, because your best friend is having lewd and lascivious dreams about him? Come on, I don't think he's at fault here, Alice. He can't help it if I've got a screwed up psyche." Bella snorted.

"Hey, if he hadn't choked, you two could be going to dinner at Cypress."

"Alice, your cousin's still kicking it with Tanya last time I checked. Why pursue a maybe when he's got a sure thing?"

"Eventually men tire of variety and quantity and go for exclusivity and quality. And, um… Edward and Tanya broke up."

Bella was surprised. "Oh, that was… sudden." Did this bit of information change her feelings about giving James a chance? She didn't have time to give it much thought because Edward came breezing in at that moment.

"Ladies." He said simply, by way of greeting, his crooked smile cocked and ready.

"Heyyyy," Bella said dragging the one syllable word out goofily. She was still trying to process the news she'd just heard. She looked up into those green eyes as if they would reveal her own name to her again, since she'd clearly forgotten it when he'd walked into the room.

Alice just pursed her lips into a half-smirk and folded her arms.

"Good news," Edward said, taking the chair beside Alice. "Captain Black's going to front us some security for the year-end festival. And I'll ask Officer Clearwater personally about volunteering for the concert. Since I'll be playing, I thought it best we still have a uniform on the grounds that night."

"That's great," Bella said excitedly. "Another thing we can cross off our gigantic 'To Do' list, right Alice?" Bella wanted to engage that little elfin matchmaker quickly in conversation, because she was sitting there watching them like she was trying to figure something out.

"Yep. We're moving along on that list. Except, I really would be grateful if you two would work on getting the risers and other hardware we need for the concert. I think I should concentrate on the more creative aspects of the planning. Can you two take care of those logistics for me?"

Bella wanted to strangle Alice. How could she say no and not look like she was trying to avoid alone time with Edward? He was no longer attached to Tanya, but she was not going to follow him around like a love-sick puppy now that he was free. And she definitely wasn't about to stoop to the level of Meredith on Grey's Anatomy by pleading for him to "pick me, choose me, love me."

Edward looked at Bella and smiled. She smiled nervously back at him.

"Sure, we can do that. Give us a list and we'll get everything in place for you," Bella said resignedly.

Alice stood and headed for the common area, unable to suppress a devious smile. "I'll be right back with it."

~888~

Bella and Edward sat side by side in her office poring through phone books and checking the Internet for the items on Alice's list. Bella had somewhat reluctantly allowed him to bring a chair around to the other side of her desk so they could easily make marathon phone calls and check everything off the list. They finished in about an hour. Their plan was to narrow down a few places and then take an actual field trip out to the party or equipment rental stores to check the items out and reserve them.

Having Edward sitting right next to her kept her in a state of near intoxication the whole time. He smelled like a nifty cocktail of soapy clean, sexy cologne, and Edward. She found herself becoming enamored with all of his cute mannerisms: how he held a pen in his hand, his almost freakishly neat handwriting, how his brow creased slightly when he was concentrating or on the telephone, and how his green eyes lit up when he had an idea or was just simply amused. She was fairly disappointed when their work meeting came to an end. Alice was in the common room with a couple of other volunteers she had roped into doing various things for the projects. When they were finished, they really could have gone out and joined the others, but they didn't.

"I guess that does it for the scheduling of all the hardware," Bella said matter-of-factly.

"Well, actually we need to go out and check these three places." Edward showed her his list. "And make deposits and schedule delivery," he said. "Maybe we can do that after work? They stay open pretty late."

Bella was so mesmerized by his mouth moving; she almost waited a beat too long before answering. "Um... I've got plans tonight, sorry." She was apologetic. She could have sworn she saw a look of disappointment on his face, but she didn't want to go there. "Maybe we can do it on Saturday?"

"Saturday's good," he agreed. He turned his chair facing her and reared back on two legs of the chair. "Got a date tonight, Ms. Swan?" he teased.

"As a matter of fact, I do, Officer Cullen," Bella said a little too defensively.

"James Hall's back in town already?" he asked.

"Yes." Bella looked at the clock on the wall over the door leading into the common room. "He should actually be here by now. The movers are probably unloading as we speak."

Edward didn't seem the least bit fazed that she was going out with James this time, and she was ticked because while he was with Tanya, he'd played twenty questions with her when she was at Alice's. Now he was free of Tanya, and it didn't seem to bother him a bit. She wondered how long they had actually been broken up and what had precipitated it. Had he been the dumper or the dumpee? She had so many questions, but she wasn't about to clue him in that she knew, unless he brought it up.

"Where's his new place?" Edward's tone was conversational, but he looked as if he were really interested to know the answer to his question.

Bella bit her bottom lip briefly. "Um... he's moving into an apartment not too far from the church."

"Hmmm," he said cryptically.

"What?" Bella inquired.

"I would have thought he'd want to move closer to your side of town," Edward stated innocently.

"He's a music minister, Edward. Ministers generally move into the same community where their churches are located." Bella shook her head and rolled her eyes dramatically.

"I can admire a man who's dedicated to his vocation, but I would have had to make a compromise," he said smoothly.

"Really?" Bella folded her arms and glared at him. "And this from the man who dates a model who travels all over the place?"

"Dated," he said pointedly.

"So, you guys have broken up?"

"You might say that. We were never really... committed," he said with a forced grin.

"Have you ever been in an exclusive relationship, Edward?"

He ran both hands through his hair before he answered that question. "My longest running commitment was a live-in relationship when I was in Terre Haute. Victoria and I were together a year."

"What happened? Did you two decide that a long-distance relationship wouldn't work out?" She turned the question on him that he'd asked of her regarding James on Saturday night.

"No, it ended long before I left there." He set the chair back on all four legs with a thump, looking like he really wanted to bolt.

Bella pressed on despite his obvious discomfort. "Mind if I ask why?"

"Um... She wanted more... and I didn't love her," he said wearily. "My unresolved issues haven't allowed me to have the best track record, Bella."

"We all have issues, Edward. Resolved or unresolved, we shouldn't allow them to prevent us from being who we are or stop us from taking chances. I have a very spartan track record when it comes to relationships, too. Particularly because I refuse to compromise in certain areas. The stand I've taken isn't very popular in this day and age." His green eyes bore into hers as she'd been speaking, his thoughts indecipherable. Now she couldn't believe she'd actually said all that.

"Have you ever been in love?" he asked.

"I've been in serious like a couple of times, but no, never in love," Bella answered truthfully.

"You have got to be the most self-aware, well-adjusted person I've ever met." He smiled that crooked little smile that slayed her every time.

"You can thank Charlie and Renee Swan for that." She grinned.

He became serious again. "Bella, I have crazy knee-jerk reactions to things that I invariably live to regret. I 'm taking steps to resolve some issues that I've ignored for a very long time..."

They both looked toward the door to the common room as they heard someone there.

Mrs. Williams knocked lightly on the jamb of the open door. "Bella, you have a visitor." She stepped aside, and James strolled into Bella's office carrying a bouquet of flowers and a bag.

"Hope I'm not interrupting a business meeting," James said, smiling and looking from Bella to Edward and back to Bella. "The movers finished unloading early. I thought I'd come by and bring you lunch, Bella."

Edward was regarding James as if he were a serial killer. Bella recovered from her obvious surprise and willed her lips to speak. She walked quickly around her desk to him. "James, wow, this is quite a surprise. How thoughtful."

James set the bag on her desk and pulled her in for an embrace, wrapping his arms and the flowers around her waist. Bella hugged him back, but it felt oddly uncomfortable with Edward in the room.

She looked up at him and smiled, feeling for some reason like she needed to explain. "Perfect timing. Edward and I were just finishing up a project for the concert."

"I'll begin my patrol," Edward said tersely and left through the office door leading outside. Bella watched him leave, disappearing quickly from her view. She wondered what he had been about to say before they had been interrupted. She turned back to James.

James held the bouquet aloft to her. "These are for you," he said smiling proudly. "I figured I'd better deliver them myself, and make absolutely sure there was no confusion as to who they were from this time." She willingly took the bouquet from his hands.

"They're beautiful. Thank you," Bella said returning his smile. She sniffed the bouquet. "What's for lunch?"

~888~

**EPOV**

Edward wanted to punch something, and the most appealing thing he could think of at the moment was James Hall's face. He'd wanted to tell Bella the truth about that night at Cafe' Cabernet, ask her to not give up on him, and beg her to give him a chance to show himself worthy of her. But the felonious Casanova had arrived with lunch, flowers, and shit, making his confession to Bella impossible. As he drove around the perimeter of the property, he used AkeRu techniques to try and calm himself the fuck down. He struggled, but was finally able to use his rage energy to take constructive actions and was using his inventory quite well within the hour. He felt like he'd circled the perimeter a hundred times.

It wasn't actually time for him to begin his patrols yet, but he'd decided that he would rather begin early than watch Bella be wooed by that two-bit Lothario. As he rounded the corner in an approach to the Center parking lot, he saw Bella and James sharing a kiss near what had to be his car. The bastard drove a gold Audi A4L. That figured, the pretentious prick. Edward wanted nothing more than to have his arms around Bella and to be kissing her beautiful mouth, thoroughly exploring all the intimacies of it and being the only keeper of its secrets. It took all his strength to refrain from slamming on the gas and zooming into the parking lot and pulling her out of James' arms.

When Bella began to walk back toward the Center, Edward decided he would pull into the lot and have a little conversation with James. James was standing next to his car watching her walk back inside, probably checking out her beautiful derriere and those shapely gymnast's legs of hers. That shit pissed Edward off because this dude was supposed to be the Mr. Holy Roller gentleman or some shit.

Edward pulled his cruiser up next to James as he was about to open his car door. He powered his window down and called out to him. "James."

James turned as he heard his name, pushing his car door closed again, his keys ready in his hand. Edward got out of his cruiser and walked around to him.

James had a goofy grin on his face and offered Edward a hand to shake. Edward, his smile laced with venom, took the proffered hand, wanting this encounter to seem like it was a friendly one if seen from the Center windows.

"Edward," James joked. "Unlike Saturday night, you look like you could pass a field sobriety test with flying colors today, dude."

Edward responded quickly. "That was an off night and a sight you're unlikely to see again in this life, _dude_," he assured him. "So, you're all moved in, I take it?"

"For the most part," James answered. "All that's left is the unpacking. You know how that is… takes a couple of days."

Edward looked carefully at his eyes. No sign of pupil dilation or other tell-tale signs of drug use. He looked clean. Maybe Alice was right and he was a true believer now.

"Yeah, moving is a bitch," Edward agreed.

"I guess, I'll get back to my unpacking," James said. Then apropos of nothing, he added, "I just couldn't wait to see Bella again."

"I'm sure," Edward said with a friendly looking smile, but his tone was icy. "About Bella. I just want to know, why you're all of a sudden so interested in her now. She spent four years in Atlanta and you never made a move. Why is that?"

James' smile faded, and his demeanor changed from friendly to a defensive posture, his eyes narrowing almost into slits. "I'd say that's none of your business, Edward."

"Wrong, James. Everything that concerns Bella is my business. When I signed on for this program, she became my business. And she is my cousin's best friend. You're not gonna waltz in here and break her heart, _capice_? If I ever see her unhappy about anything concerning you, I'm gonna show up at your door and put my foot so far up your ass, you won't be able to sit straight again. You got that?"

James' coloring changed from tanned to red, his hands balled into fists involuntarily. "You and exactly how many of your comrades in blue are gonna accomplish that feat? Take off that uniform and I'll face you any day, any time, man to man."

Edward laughed derisively. "You gonna use your competitive martial arts skills on me? Your hands are registered as lethal weapons, right?"

James took a deep breath and relaxed his hands. "Cullen, you are not worth me losing my freedom. Bella is worth everything, and I'm going to do all I can to make her happy. I don't know what your problem is, and honestly, I don't care. I was once as lost and as afraid as you are, and only when I faced my fears and gave everything in me to God was I able to make any positive changes in my life."

"I don't need a mini-sermon from you, man. Just don't hurt Bella. She better not even get a hangnail while she's with you, understand?"

"Tell me something, Edward. You had a chance with her, but you didn't take it. Now why is that?" James challenged.

Fuck AkeRu. "I'd say that's none of _your_ business, James," Edward growled. "But understand me, I am not going to stand aside any longer and let you have an unopposed shot at winning her heart. I'm going to be here every day showing her how much she means to me."

"So, what, the model isn't enough, and you want to go after Bella, too?" James' anger rose again.

"Bella is worth more than any number of women like Tanya," Edward spat. "I would never disrespect her by making her a party, unwitting or not, to some love triangle."

"Are we done here?" James asked sarcastically, turning away and reaching again for his car door before Edward could answer.

"Have a nice date tonight," Edward said, smiling that venomous smile again. "Saturday, she's all mine."

~888~

**A/N: **

**S.W.I.R.L.** Website: ..html ; http://wwwdotabandonmentdotnet/swirldotframedothtml

**AkeRu:** AKeRU is a Japanese word that means "to pierce, to end, to begin." AKeRU works with the natural flow of life process, enabling the individual to restore a sense of self, increase life, and find new love. AKeRU recognizes abandonment as rebirth. It taps into your capacity for growth. There is an AKeRU exercise for each stage of the abandonment process called S.W.I.R.L.

**Grey's Anatomy:** is an American medical drama television series. It follows the lives of five surgical interns, later residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital in Seattle, Washington. Besides their careers the series also follows their personal lives. The pilot episode, "A Hard Day's Night" premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC. Since then, five seasons have aired, with a sixth announced.


	11. Ch 10 TLC: Ain't Understanding Mellow

**A/N: Copward has a few words to say to all the readers of Trust, Loyalty, Commitment.**

**Edward:** "Hello, TLC readers. As a Tallahassee Police Officer, I have a lot of duties. As many of you know from reading TLC, I have not been stable for a very long time and I'm just now going back into therapy to try and get my shit together once and for all. However, since I am still technically not cured yet, I can say whatever the fuck I want. I want you readers who are lurking around reading this story to **be responsible citizens and review every time you read.** My writer, Bev, is a really great woman and she needs your validation or some shit through these reviews. This great story is worth that much, right? So, convince her she's a woman of worth, just like Bella is convincing me I'm a man of worth, and **REVIEW THIS STORY!** Thank you very much and have a nice day."

Thanks to my regular betas **SSHG316, acireamos and Charmie77 **and pinch hitter: **JennDay. You are all beautiful and possess many talents. This story would not look half as good without you!**

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**Ain't Understanding Mellow **

**by Jerry Butler and Brenda Lee Eager**

Oh, I thank God for you  
Because you were woman enough, girl, not to try to hide  
Didn't try to hide your love  
For this other guy, baby  
No need to explain it.

Oh, I thank the angels for you  
That you were woman enough to try to make it easier for me  
Wherever you go  
I want you to know, You have but to call on me  
And I'll be right by your side

Oh, I thank God above  
That we were able to see  
Just how wrong we were  
Ain't Understanding Mellow  
To have this love of ours

**"Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful does not endure." **

**Proverbs 13:15**

**Chapter 10 – TLC: ****Ain't Understanding Mellow**

Bella couldn't quite decide if the date with James had been what she'd expected. On the scale of many of the dates she'd been on, it was rated in the top two, but there was something vaguely anticlimactic about it. She tried to keep herself in the moment with James, but her mind kept wandering to a pair of emerald green eyes and a brooding, kissable mouth belonging to the man who invaded her thoughts and dreams most of the time these days. It was early, she reasoned. The least she could do was give it a chance. Besides, even if he were free of Tanya now, Edward wasn't making any obvious moves, and she wasn't ready to go back to being the third wheel with Alice and Jasper, or Angela and Ben for that matter.

She pumped herself up for the end of the date and the obligatory kiss goodnight, which didn't disappoint. James was a really good kisser, and she was kind of turned on by his well-toned physique. She could tell by the hints he dropped at the end of the evening that he wasn't ready to leave, but she couldn't bring herself to invite him into her apartment just yet, so they said their goodbyes at her door. Alice had asked them to go out with her and Jasper on Friday night because they wanted to welcome James to Tallahassee properly, so Bella reminded him that they would be together again the next night.

She had gotten ready for bed and was about to put her unmuted cellphone on her nightstand when she saw she had a text message. She almost fell off the bed. It was Edward. They had exchanged cell phone numbers before she'd left the center at the end of the day because they were going to get together on Saturday morning to visit the rental stores. His text read:

_Bella, Are you up?—E._

Despite having just come from a wonderful date with a great guy, her heart fluttered wildly from just a simple text from Edward Cullen. She responded with shaking fingers.

_Yes, wide awake now.—B._

_May I call you?—E._

_Yeah, sure. –B._

Bella was at a loss. She couldn't imagine why he wanted to call her tonight when they would see one another at the center the next day. Even though she knew he was going to call, she jumped when the familiar refrain of Claire de Lune resounded in her ears.

"Edward," she said quietly. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," he replied in an equally soft tone. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"What would you be interrupting, besides my sleep?" She laughed nervously.

"Well, um, you did have a date tonight," he said apprehensively.

"Right, but I also have to work tomorrow, and James does, too." She hoped her tone didn't give away how anxious she was to find out exactly what he wanted to talk about at this hour.

"I'm sorry, maybe this was a bad idea…" he hedged.

"It's okay," she reassured him. "James is gone and I wasn't asleep, yet. What is it?"

"I wanted to finish the conversation we were having earlier, and I was afraid that I'd waited too late, as it is…."

"Too late for what?" she asked curiously.

"To take back what I said at Cafe Cabernet a couple of weeks ago. My reaction that night is probably one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made in my life, Bella. Damn, I should be saying this to you in person..." He trailed off helplessly.

Bella was stunned. Had he just said what she thought he said? Edward was admitting that he regretted rejecting her. This turn of events, while thrilling, actually scared the bejeebus out of her. Edward was by far the closest to her physical ideal than any man she'd ever met, and their chemistry was off the charts. Could she survive a relationship with him with her virtue intact? Everything in her screamed to be with him, and in her heart she was hungry for his attention, his touch, his kiss. But where would this take her? Edward was a virile man who had enjoyed many physical relationships with women. Was he really willing to honor her commitment to chastity?

"I started telling you this today, but then James showed up and we didn't get a chance to talk alone again before you left. But I've been thinking about this—about us—all day, Bella, and I just couldn't go another minute without telling you how I feel."

"I-I don't I don't know what to say," she stammered. This was just too much. She was utterly astonished and completely overwhelmed.

"You don't have to say anything right now. I am in treatment again so I can deal once and for all with my issues. I don't know what will come of it...I think that's sorta the point, but for the first time in my life I want to complete what I began in the marines and abandoned in Terre Haute. I need to be whole for me, but I also want to be the kind of man you deserve."

"Maybe we could talk about this when we see each other again," Bella suggested. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest, and she was having trouble forming coherent sentences. "James is such a sweet guy… I don't know if I can…"

"I know it's not really fair of me to spring this on you like this. But I also didn't want to wait any longer to tell you because I couldn't bear to see your heart stolen away from me right under my nose. Just so you know, I intend to fight for you, Bella. If you'll let me."

~888~

After getting off the phone with Edward, Bella had tossed and turned, her thoughts churning about how she felt about James versus how she felt about Edward. She was in turmoil for what seemed like hours, until she'd finally succumbed to a fitful, yet dreamless sleep. As soon as her eyes opened the next morning, she was on the phone calling Angela. She decided she needed an objective opinion, and since Alice was Edward's cousin and was convinced he was the one, she knew what her opinion would be.

"Hello, my sister from another mister," Angela said playfully. "I was beginning to think I wasn't going to talk to you again before I got back to the States."

"Ange, you know I can't go more than three days without talking to you. Man, I wish you were here." Bella sat listlessly on the side of her bed, clutching her phone like it was a lifeline.

"What's up, Bellaboo? Talk to your big sis," Angela encouraged.

"Ha, you're only three months older than me," Bella complained jokingly.

"I'm still older than you, girl. Spill it."

"Where do I start?"

"How about at the beginning," Angela offered.

Bella reminded Angela that she already knew about Edward and their ill-timed crazy date dump. She then recounted the story of when James had originally come to Tallahassee and they'd gone to the party at Alice's where Edward had gotten sloppy drunk and had to be escorted home. Then she told her about the week she'd had getting to know James and liking him a lot, but still seeing Edward every day and dreaming about him intermittently. Finally, she related the previous night's events.

"Damn, Bella, I think I just need to book a flight and haul my tight ass back to Tallahassee. You just can't seem to keep it together while I'm gone."

"I know, right?" Bella agreed. "I just don't know what to do. In my mind I know that James is the safe choice for me. He is so loyal and I don't want to hurt him. Edward is my ideal and our chemistry is amazing. It's like I have this magnetic pull towards Edward. I just know a relationship with him would be passionate and intense, but I'm afraid I'll end up being hurt."

"Who said you have to decide right now?" Angela asked. "I think you should date them both until you figure it out. Be upfront and tell them, and then just make that choice, girl."

"Oh, Angela, that would make me feel like I'm taping my very own episode of 'The Bachelorette' or some other cheesy reality show."

"Bella, guys do this all the time. What better way to make sure you're making the right choice? Anyway, men like a little healthy competition. They're freaks like that."

Bella laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. She didn't want to think about how difficult a task she had before her. "God must be toying with me, Ange. I whined and complained for months for Him to send me someone, but what does He do? He sends me two someones." Bella allowed herself to fall back, as if in surrender, to lie flat on the bed with her legs dangling off the edge.

"That means He really loves you, Bella. Now the test is for you to make the right decision," Angela challenged.

"Next Saturday can't come fast enough. I need my sister here to hold my hand. Hey, I want you and Ben to come to the concert Saturday night at the Center. Edward is playing Debussy," she said in a rush.

"Wow, a cop who plays Debussy. How sexy is that?" Angela asked good-naturedly.

"You don't know the half of it. James and Edward both have exceptional musical talent. I love that about them both." Bella sighed.

"Two hot men, both musicians, you'd better hold on, 'cause you're in for a bumpy ride, little sister," Angela warned.

~888~

Edward spent the early morning on the firing range practicing body and head shots from various distances. The sniper rifle had an extremely long sight range and made it easy to get a bead on targets up to a mile away. He was only able to lose himself in the mechanics of shooting only for a brief while that morning, because he had a lot on his mind. He had been so afraid that his confession to Bella the night before was going to go horribly wrong; however, considering the way he had done it and her reaction, he felt like he had come away with hope that he had a solid chance with her.

She would have been justified in sending his ass packing, but when he'd voiced his intention to fight for her and told her that he'd felt a strong connection to her at Café, she reluctantly admitted that she'd felt something, too. Now his mission was evolving, and he was going to have to pull out some heavy artillery to defeat James Hall and win Bella's heart.

He was still staying at his mother's and would probably be there until the Greater Church of the Son was taken down. Besides, he didn't trust that Aro wouldn't try something, especially since he'd shown up at the house on Wednesday night under the guise of missing his mother at the midweek service, so Edward would remain there until Aro and his lackeys were behind bars. In the mean time, this posed a bit of a dilemma for him to get out and spend quality time with Bella after hours.

He wanted to trust that the Feds were looking out for his mother; hell, it was already hard enough for him to concentrate while he was away from her during the day when he was on duty. He would just have to work that shit out. Matter of fact, he would stop dancing around those FBI guys and talk to them whenever he needed to go out. They would probably be pissed, but he needed to know what kind of men were looking out for his mother when he was away.

He stopped at Starbucks and got a coffee for himself and a latte for Bella on the way in to the Center, then as an afterthought, got Alice one too. He noticed that Bella inhaled those damned things like they were liquid cocaine or some shit, and there was nothing he wanted to do more than to give her one of her favorite things this morning. He was halfway to the door to her office before he realized he was damn near hyperventilating. There was something about the knowledge that Bella had touched something in him that no woman had ever even ventured close to that paralyzed him. It was mind-blowing. He stopped and took a couple of deep breaths.

_Calm the fuck down, Cullen,_ he chastised himself._ It's the same Bella in there you've known for two weeks._

He tapped on her window, and she waved him in with an absolutely breathtaking smile. She was on the phone, so he sauntered in and took a seat, setting one latte in front of her and nursing his coffee waiting for her to get off the phone. She was talking to her dad it seemed, updating him on the upcoming events. Edward didn't want to seem like a perv, but he studied her face while she was talking. Her brown eyes were sparkling this morning, and her dusky rose lips were moist, glossy and begging to be kissed. She flipped back the tab on her latte and took a sip, licking her lips and giving Edward a thumbs up and a grateful smile. He immediately had to begin playing "Taps" in his head, but continued to peruse her beautiful face. Clearly she and her dad were close and shared easy banter between them.

Alice skipped in when she saw Edward.

"Hey, Edward," she greeted him happily and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Edward chuckled. "What was that for?"

"I don't know." She grinned, then whispered, "Just glad you've finally come to your senses." She slanted her eyes pointedly toward Bella, and Edward understood why she was rewarding him.

"I should probably be kissing you, then," he teased. "Instead, I bought you a latte." He handed her the beverage.

"Thanks, cuz." Alice slumped in the chair next to him and popped the tab on her latte.

Bella was finishing up her conversation with the reverend. Edward got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when he thought about the fact that her father was a pastor. Damn he'd almost forgotten that bit of information. Then he pushed that shit out of his head again because Bella wasn't a teenager that he had to seek her father's permission to date. She was a grown woman who made her own decisions, and she had decided that they would explore the idea of getting to know one another. Bella clicked her cell phone shut and looked across the desk at him and Alice.

"So, what's on the agenda today, people?" she asked, taking another sip of her latte. Edward smiled when he saw her eyes roll back slightly as she swallowed, her long black eyelashes fluttering like butterflies. He so wanted to make her eyes do that someday.

"I'm sanding and refinishing that monstrosity out there," Alice said, referring to the piano. "The tuner is coming early next week. Edward, you should be able to test it by Wednesday."

Edward nodded his approval to Alice and then turned back to Bella. "I called Seth Clearwater last night, and he's agreed to cover for me next Saturday night. He'll come in an hour or so today to talk to the three volunteers about security and safety measures," he reported.

"Oh, I forgot," Alice said. "Edward, you need to go by and get your tux fitted tomorrow. Bella, don't let him forget. Drag him there if you have to after you guys visit the rental places, okay?"

Edward entertained a visual of that. He had to admit that he wouldn't argue at all if she commenced to dragging his ass anywhere.

"Okay," Bella agreed sheepishly. "I'm sure Edward will be on his best behavior tomorrow." Their eyes met, and Edward shifted uncomfortably in his seat, praying that his "Taps" trick wasn't about to desert him.

"Is Tapas good for tonight, Bella?" Alice asked, then turned to Edward. "Jasper wanted us to go out together tonight to welcome James to Tallahassee," she explained.

"Tapas is good," Bella agreed. "What time?"

"7:30-ish," Alice replied. "Edward, you should come by when you get off later." Bella almost choked on her latte, but she recovered quickly, grabbing a napkin and covering her mouth. It was clear that she didn't want to be in a social situation with two men clamoring for her attention.

"Alice," Edward said calmly. "I think I'll pass. I'm actually taking my mother to dinner tonight. She's been cooking for me for days, and I think she deserves a break from the kitchen."

"Mom and Dad told me about, you know…" Alice trailed off.

Edward saw Bella looking quizzically at them, and he explained, "I've been staying in Crawfordville at my mom's since Sunday. She approached the FBI about Church of the Greater Son and some apparent long-time illegal activities. They have been indicted and a bust is imminent. I didn't want her to be there alone, just in case Bishop Aro Volturi tries anything."

"My god," Bella exclaimed. "Edward, I am so sorry. It pisses me off when charlatans masquerading as Christians lure people into situations where they are clearly more interested in control, manipulation, or money than they are in really ministering to people."

"It should be resolved within the next week or so," he said. "Please don't mention it to anyone until this thing goes public."

Bella was sensitive to his request. "Of course I won't," she said. "You really didn't have to tell me…."

"Yes, I did," he disagreed. "I want to tell you everything, Bella."

"I think I'll go and get started on my sanding," Alice mumbled and bolted quickly from the room.

Edward leaned forward, regarding her intensely across the desk. "Bella, there is nothing about me that is secret. I want… no, I need you to know everything there is to know about me, because I want you to make an informed decision about the prospect of being with me. This is new territory for both of us, and it would be in both our best interests to have a clear understanding of what we're getting into. As for me, I already know what I want." Edward searched her warm brown eyes as if his life depended on it, unable to look away.

"I was thinking about that last night. There are so many things that might become a problem if we don't come to an understanding. We should talk about it, when the time is right," she said honestly. "In the meantime, I hope you won't hate me for not choosing right away between you and James. I don't mean to string either of you along, but it's... complicated, and I need some time to figure things out."

"I guess I'm partly to blame for that," he admitted honestly. "Not too long ago, I was the one who was confused and needed time." He reached for her hands across the desk and held them firmly in his own. This simple contact with her skin had him struggling to control his excitement; his arousal was only kept at bay with a trusty "Taps" chorus ringing in his head.

_Damn, her hands were soft_.

"I think it was just horrible timing and bad communication," she said. "I really wish we could somehow skip over all this and into the future, but that would be a copout."

"Bella, I get that the preacher would be the sane choice for you, but I'm selfish enough to believe that this thing between us is too powerful to ignore. I now know that I can't stay away from you, I don't think I ever could. I guess the question is whether you can?" Edward questioned. "I feel like we might have something that will eclipse anything either of us could ever imagine. Damn, I sound like Alice." He chuckled.

Bella giggled. "Yeah, you kinda do." Then the laughter disappeared from her eyes, and she was serious, as was he. "When I do decide, my decision won't be about sanity, or safety, or any other cerebral thing. It will be based purely on my heart."

He kept contact with her hands as he stood and walked around to her side of the desk. Gently pulling her up from her chair and into his arms, he felt her shiver involuntarily as he looked down into her beautiful brown eyes. He wrapped his arms securely around her, and her arms snaked around his back to embrace him, as well. He'd wanted to do this since the first day he'd met her, and this time, damn it, he would finally get a chance to taste as well as feel how wonderful she was. Their dancing at Café had been the appetizer, but now he was about to experience the main course.

~888~

The moment their bodies molded together, Bella began to tremble with anticipation. The mere closeness of his body to hers had all her senses heightened, coiled like a spring ready to break free from its entrapment. Edward cupped her face with his hands as his green eyes bore insistently into hers. It was almost as if he were savoring every second and every nuance of this moment and there was no rush, because once it happened they would both be lost. His hands went from her cheeks to the back of her neck, his slender fingers interlacing briefly through her hair, sending infinitesimal shocks through her nerve endings. He eased his hands from her neck to her shoulders, slowly down both arms, pulling her closer still if it were possible. His hands left a trail of goose bumps that felt like they were the size of pearls rising on her skin.

Her breath hitched, and she immediately and greedily sucked in air through her teeth. Something told her she would need air reserves with this kiss. Her heart was tumbling in her chest like it was doing a gymnastics floor exercise. Just his proximity alone was wreaking havoc on her major bodily systems, and she really couldn't figure out how to level everything out again. She decided that she would just have to ride it out and let the chips fall where they may. He lowered his head then and claimed her mouth. Bella felt like Edward's kiss had taken her from zero to sixty in about five seconds flat. There was no teasing preamble once their lips were locked. Like heat-seeking missiles, their tongues immediately found one another and tangled, their hot mouths tasting together of cinnamon and latte and all Edward and Bella.

This kiss was not sweet like a typical first kiss; it was a declaration. It said, "_This_ is what I have wanted from you since I first laid eyes on you." This kiss was of the knee-weakening and toe-curling variety. All her womanly essence stood up and paid attention, and she wasn't sure, but she was almost certain his manly parts were doing the same. Maybe some of the items in his service belt were gouging into her skin, but she didn't care. His hands were caressing her back and drawing her closer at the same time, and her hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they explored the muscles rippling on his back. Then they found his beautiful, wild, sexy hair and fisted in it as they plundered each other's mouths like there would be no future kisses.

A loud, exaggerated throat-clearing made them reluctantly pull only their lips apart to see who was interrupting this exquisite moment.

Alice stood leaning against the door jamb with her tiny arms folded across her chest and one leg crossed over the other as if she had been watching them for a few seconds.

"I think you two better cool it unless you want Sean and Mrs. Williams to see you sucking face like teenagers up in here," she said with a smirk.

Alice shook her head and walked back over to the piano in the common room.

Bella hastily finger combed the mess she'd made of Edward's hair, while he tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear on the right side of her face. She didn't dare move just yet, because her legs were wobbly, at best. They were both reluctant to do so, but they backed a couple of feet away from one another when they heard the volunteers enter the common room and Alice rushing over to greet them. Their eyes seemed unable to disengage. Edward was the first to recover enough to form a meaningful sentence.

"That was better than my most vivid fantasy... my wildest dream," he murmured. A satisfied crooked smile was playing on his lips.

"Amen to that," she concurred through the haze of an answering smile.

"See you at dismissal?" he inquired while moving to the door.

Bella sank slowly into her desk chair. "Oh, yeah," she replied.

~888~

Dinner at Tapas with Alice and Jasper was fabulous. James and Jasper got along like old friends, and Bella couldn't have asked for a better welcome party for him. They lounged in comfortable black leather chairs around a sleek black table, eating off small, square and rectangular white plates. They started with cheese and fruit, with a complimentary order of fresh ground hummus served with warm pita bread, and then dined on sea scallop paella and blue crab cakes, rounded out with a delicious white wine. The couples each shared crème brulee for dessert. After dinner, they hung out at Alice and Jasper's where they talked, laughed, and danced on the patio by the screened-in pool.

Bella was able to keep herself soundly rooted in the moment with the exception of one minor slip. When they were dancing to a slow tune and she was in James' arms, the song playing was Evanescence's "My Immortal," and she couldn't help but think of Edward and when they'd danced together at Café, which inevitably led her thoughts to earlier in the day when they'd shared their first kiss. That kiss had somehow imprinted her in a way that she would never be able to match or forget. She pushed it out of her mind and breathed in the soft, woodsy fragrance that she had quickly come to associate with James. He planted a soft kiss on the top of her head, and she looked up into his blue eyes.

"Tallahassee feeling like home, yet?" she asked.

"I've got one of its most beautiful natives here in my arms to welcome me," he replied. "I am not complaining."

"We've been so busy at the Center, I've been remiss in asking if you need any help unpacking."

"I don't _need_ any help, but I won't turn you away if you want to come over and watch me organize all my stuff." He grinned.

"Oh, I forgot. Edward and I are going to run some errands for the events tomorrow."

James frowned. "A fact that he was all to willing to share with me yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Bella's brows furrowed slightly. "When you two were talking in the parking lot?"

"Yeah," he said, expelling a huge sigh. "I was afraid he might realize his mistake and make a play for you, Bella. I just didn't expect it to be so soon." His annoyance was clear when he continued tightly, "I was looking forward to taking advantage of his stupidity for at least another few weeks."

"I really didn't mean for this to become some kind of three-ring circus," Bella said apologetically. "I just want to be sure that I'm making the right decision."

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Bella. You told me there was someone else, and I respect that you don't want to make a hasty decision," he said. "Cullen was just flexing his territorial muscles." The song ended, and they headed back to the patio chairs they'd been occupying previously. Alice and Jasper had disappeared into the house, and Bella didn't want to think about what they were up to.

"Exactly what did you two talk about yesterday?"

James was embarassed. "Nothing that bears repeating," he hedged.

Bella was annoyed at that point. "Edward didn't threaten you or anything, did he?" She sat down and picked up her drink.

"Even if he did, no need to worry. I can take care of myself," he assured her.

Bella wouldn't let it go. "I'm not doubting that at all. Just tell me what happened, James."

"He just gave me a _friendl_y warning not to hurt you. He doesn't understand, Bella. I would be the last guy to hurt you in any way, but I really can't say the same for him." James sat in his chair and angled it toward her.

"Why is that?" Bella asked.

"He has no faith center, no moral compass, so he can't be trusted," James said simply. "He strikes me as a womanizer, Bella. A guy who would toy with you until he's had his fill and then move on."

Bella didn't agree with James' assertion that Edward couldn't be trusted. However, she wondered if his statement about Edward's womanizing ways was him voicing what she was afraid to even think about. As much as she was drawn to Edward, there were things that made her wary of him. He was like forbidden fruit, appealing to the eye and the senses, but once tasted, could bring about swift destruction. However, he could also be extremely gentle and tender with her. He was at once beautiful yet paradoxical.

"Edward may be excessively passionate about protecting people he cares about and hot-headed, but he is a very trustworthy person," she replied evenly. "I also believe that when he decides to make a commitment to someone, he will have no problem honoring it."

James rushed to reassure her. "You know the man better than I do. I just don't want you to be hurt, either, Bella. You know as well as I do that it's incredibly difficult to be in a relationship where you don't share the same faith....what happens when you hit a rough patch? But, I don't pretend to know the will of God in this situation. I just want to do everything I can to convince you that I'm the better choice."

~888~

Bella had spent the night in Alice and Jasper's guest room and got back to her apartment Saturday morning just in time to get ready for her outing with Edward. Getting dressed, which was usually an easy decision for her, became a nerve-wracking task, and it was even worse because it was Saturday morning and it really didn't need to be that serious. She finally decided to go with a modest floral halter from Express and a pair of pink linen mid-thigh shorts. She was pulling her hair into a high ponytail when she heard her doorbell ring. She dropped her brush on the vanity and scuttled to the door, flinging it wide before asking who it was or checking the peephole.

Edward stood there with his arms folded, looking slightly upset. "You didn't ask who was at the door, Bella," he reprimanded.

"Because I knew it was you, Edward," she shot right back. She stepped aside to let him in. "Come in, I'm almost ready."

He walked in, but then turned unexpectedly as she closed the door, purposely invading her personal space. "I could have been a serial killer on the other side of that door," he warned. He moved closer to her and she stepped back involuntarily, her back becoming flush with the door. He pinned her in, his arms braced on either side of her shoulders.

"But you weren't," she replied simply. "And I'm not afraid of you." Well, she wasn't literally afraid in the normal sense of the word, but he was so sexy he had her hormones firing like pistons all over the place. She took several deep breaths to try and steady her heart rate.

Edward studied her face for a moment and then caressed her left cheek with his right hand. "I guess I'll just have to punish you whenever you breach your personal safety protocol," he teased, his lips curving into a smirk. "Every time you do I'll have to kiss you until you're breathless."

His mouth was on hers before she could respond or react to his words; then all she could do was react to his kiss. She moved into his arms without thought or provocation, her body yielding to his like muscle memory, the hardness of him and her softness complimenting one another like yin and yang. Her core became immediately inflamed, and their tongues wrestled gently, neither actually achieving domination, but each giving as good as it was getting. Her dreams had been vivid, but they were nothing compared to reality. Bella moaned, but it was swallowed by his kiss. Although she didn't think it was possible, he deepened the kiss when he heard her response.

Bella panicked and pushed him away. "Down boy," she joked, darting away from him on unstable legs. "It is much too early in the day to get so carried away. I'll be right back."

She left him standing in the middle of her living room and closed her bedroom door, then leaned against it.

_I. Am So. Screwed! He smirks and my heart does gymnastics, he touches me and my body is on fire, he gathers me in for a hug and I never want to let go, and when he kisses me my knees get weak and I melt away. How will I ever survive Edward Cullen? _

Bella quickly finished up applying her meager make-up, grabbed her purse, and went out to join him. She hadn't had time to check him out thoroughly when she'd answered the door, but now she was able to take him in at her leisure. He was wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a turquoise sleeveless t-shirt. Bella had never seen him quite so dressed down before and she couldn't help but ogle all the flesh that was usually covered up by his uniform. His arms and legs were fantastic sculptures that weren't over the top, but substantially toned. The same bronze hair that adorned his beautiful head gently sprinkled his forearms and legs. She willed herself not to blush when she saw him giving her a visual once-over, as well.

He smiled widely. "You look great, today. Not that you don't look great everyday. It's just good to be able to say it without worrying about people thinking I'm sexually harassing you or something."

Bella smiled in return. "Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself." She noticed for the first time a tattoo on his upper right arm. "Hey, is that a souvenir from your marine corps days?" She approached him to get a better look.

He glanced down at the tattoo. "Um… yeah. It's, uh… a tribute to my friend, Paul, who died in Afghanistan." He seemed a bit melancholy while explaining.

Bella tried to be sensitive to the memory of his friend. "May I?" she asked, gesturing toward the beautiful tattoo.

"Sure," he said quickly and offered his arm for her to view.

Bella ran her fingers over it, while reading the words. It was a picture of a helmet being held up by a rifle, encircled with stars. On the helmet the name "Featherstone" was emblazoned. At the base of the rifle were the words, "R.I.P. Brother Paul." At the bottom, below the circle of stars, were the letters "U.S.M.C."

It was so beautiful and such a touching tribute to his friend. She realized that this was the only visible tattoo on his body, and to possess this one, the guy for whom it was dedicated must have been very important to him. There was so much more to Edward Cullen, ladies man, than met the eye. She didn't know what came over her, but she got the overwhelming urge to softly kiss that tattoo, and so she did.

He seemed surprised at first, and then he pulled her into his arms and held her as if he would never let her go.

~888~

A/N: **TLC September 2009 Stats: There was a total of 4,790 Hits and 2,033 Visitors to the story. And we're currently registering only 141 Reviews. Readers, please take a few minutes of your time to review, because Copward says so!**


	12. Ch 11 TLC: Conquering The Demons

**A/N: Readers and reviewers, I just want to say thanks to all of you who take the time to read TLC each time an update makes its way into your Favorite Stories box or your Alert Email. The stats have borne out time and again that many of you around the world are reading, and for that I am truly grateful. I want to also say a special thanks to those of you who feel so strongly about the story that you must review each and every time. **

**Together with the tireless efforts of my lovely betas, ****SSHG316, acireamos and Charmie77, **** your reviews have done much to compel me to keep writing and to strive to make TLC the best story it can be. JennDay is my cheerleader, and beta in a pinch, and I love her for loving TLC as much as she does. Copward is getting all Coptastic in this chapter. Show him some love and press that Review button!**

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**No one who, like me, conjures up the most evil of those half-tamed demons that inhabit the human beast, and seeks to wrestle with them, can expect to come through the struggle unscathed.****" – Sigmund Freud **

**And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues. – Mark 16:17**

**Chapter 11 – TLC: ** **Conquering The Demons**

**EPOV**

Edward watched Bella until she disappeared into what had to be her bedroom to finish whatever it was she needed to do to get ready. Even with her face devoid of makeup, she was absolutely stunning, so much so that he had to think of some lame-assed excuse to kiss her first thing this morning. After having shared another fuckawesome kiss with her, he was positive that he had done the right thing when he had come clean about his feelings.

He spotted some family pictures on the end table next to the sofa and bent down to peruse them. Her mother, Renee, was a caramel-colored beauty who was quite regal-looking with just a hint of mischief in her hazel eyes. Charlie had the look of a serious pastor, with dark brown hair and eyes, and sporting a neatly groomed mustache. Bella had her mother's beauty and Charlie's brown hair and eyes. There was a picture of Bella between the two of them when she'd graduated from Spelman, and an older picture from maybe her high school days. She was captured in a split over the balance beam in this photo, the picture of concentration and in flawless form. He smiled, wishing he had been around when she was in gymnastics, but then realized that might have been a little awkward as he was five years her senior.

He replaced the photo on the table and turned to find her taking in his form. While she was busy looking at him, he looked his fill of her, too. He could never get enough of looking at Bella; looking at her was a natural impulse he couldn't avoid or stop if he wanted to. He had not taken the time to do so when he'd arrived, because kissing her had been his first objective, but he would not miss a second opportunity.

He smiled and told her how great she looked, and she returned the compliment. Her eyes turned curious as she noticed his ink and asked about it. He still had trouble sometimes talking about the tattoo and its significance even though it was there and people noticed it, invariably. After he explained it was a tribute to his friend, she did the strangest, yet most caring thing anyone had ever done in response to it. She actually kissed the fucking tattoo, which had him breaking out in all kinds of cold sweats, but it was just too damned beautiful for him to comprehend. The deference she paid to a guy she hadn't even known brought a lump into his throat bigger than a fucking grenade, and all he could do was gather her into his arms and hold on to her for dear life.

Finally, he was able to get a hold of himself and he released her, but held both her hands in his. Her eyes were soft and warm as chocolate fudge looking up at him. She stared back into his eyes with such adoration that he began to wonder what he'd ever done to deserve to be in the same room with a creature as amazing as Bella Swan.

Edward cleared his throat. "Bella, um... thanks for honoring Paul like that. He lost his life saving mine."

"Greater love has no man than this..." she began, and he helped her complete the quote, "that he lay his life down for his friends."

She looked surprised that he knew the verse, and he had to swallow hard to keep from bawling right then. "Paul used to quote that shi-, um that verse all the time," he whispered raggedly.

"Looks like he really meant it," she said softly. "I am so thankful that you had a friend like that when you needed one. Sounds like Paul and I would have gotten along famously." She smiled.

"This is the closest I have come to believing that he might have sacrificed himself for someone who's worth it. You make me want to be a better man, Bella."

She cradled his cheek in her palm, "The man you are, underneath all the baggage from a dysfunctional family and the self-inflicted guilt you carry, is a good man, and the only one I see," she said sincerely.

He was so moved by her words; he raised her left hand to his lips and kissed it. "I guess I can only get better, then." He smiled and, releasing her right hand, began to lead her to the door.

He didn't understand why he was so fucking emotional today and had never been so anxious to change the subject. "We should get going. One of these places closes at one."

~888~

**BPOV**

They had visited all the rental stores within an hour and half and found their way to Nic's Toggery just off Monroe on Northtown where Edward would be fitted for his tuxedo. The owner, Mr. Gavalos, had a son around Bella's age, and they had attended church together when they had both been in middle school. Mr. Gavalos was very attentive to them and got to Edward quickly. Bella enjoyed checking out all the men's clothing and accessories he had on display. She also got a nice peek at Edward's abs when he was being measured. They were as she expected: perfection. Just the little glimpse she caught of his bronze happy trail made her feel warm all over. He kept asking her opinion about which tux to choose, and she tried to have an honest opinion, but he actually looked good to her in every one he tried on. Finally, the owner suggested something special he had just added to the line, and in the end, they both felt that one was the Debussy tux. It was black, of course, with tails but boasted a satin shawl collar rather than the traditional one. They placed the order and were off to his car to their next destination, which Bella thought was home, but Edward had other plans.

They had gone only a short distance on Monroe before they made a right on 5th Street where they pulled into the parking lot of "Bella Bella," one of her favorite restaurants, and not only because it bore her name, but because they had some of the best informal Italian dining you could find in Tallahassee.

"Oh my God, Edward," she exclaimed. "How did you find out about this place?"

"Seth told me about it. I kept bending his ear so much about you, he said that I should take you here if I was ever fortunate enough to get a date with you."

"So, this is a date?" she teased.

"Now it is," he smirked. "This place was given a name so nice, they had to say it twice. You can't beat it for a first date for the girl that bears its name."

Bella giggled and started to open her car door. "No," he insisted. "Let me get that." He slid quickly out of the car and came around to open her door. Taking her hand, they walked into the restaurant and were seated in a round corner table underneath a ceiling fan.

Bella Bella was buzzing with lunch-goers and they were fortunate to get a table very quickly. They ordered tomato and basil bruschetta, and for their entrees Bella chose a chicken pesto melt, while Edward chose the Caprese, a prosciutto ham sandwich, both with cold pesto salads.

"You get serious cool points for this move, Cullen," Bella teased.

"That's good," he said teasing back with a smirk. "I'm all about the cool points."

"So, what do you normally do on a Saturday morning?"

"I usually jog, first thing. Sometimes go to the firing range, wash the car or putter around with it—you know, usual guy stuff. And there's the soccer team Emmett and I coach together."

"Yeah, how's he making it without you today?"

"Trust me, we have quite a few well-meaning dads who are always dying to be coach for a day."

"I imagine that would be true. I was so happy when I was growing up that gymnastics wasn't a sport that parents could meddle with very much. Because it wasn't something that either had experience in, they couldn't offer any real advice to the coaches."

"Children the world over probably wish that were the case in every sport."

"Yeah," Bella agreed, taking a quick sip of water. "How far do you jog in the mornings?"

"Usually five miles. Ten, if I skip a day."

"I've been looking to do some cardio since leaving Spelman, but I've been doing so many other things and the gym can be so boring. I do a little bit of Capoeira, this Brazilian martial arts thing, but it doesn't offer as vigorous of a sustained workout as I'd like. Maybe I should try jogging."

"We can go out together some mornings when I move back to Tally, if you'd like," he offered.

"Thanks, I'll hold you to it," she said, smiling.

"What's your usual Saturday morning routine?" he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"I usually sleep in," she confessed. "I am not a morning person. In fact, I am particularly grumpy when I'm either sleepy or hungry."

"So, I guess it's good I'm feeding you now then, huh?"

"Yeah, another half hour and I probably would've eaten you alive," she joked. Then she realized how sexy that double-entendre sounded and blushed profusely.

He smirked, his green eyes smoldering, "I would not have protested."

Bella took another sip from her glass hoping to cool the warmth that was beginning to emanate from her center. He was making her come unhinged with every passing moment, and she fought desperately to regain her composure. She chewed nervously on her bottom lip and was eventually able to muster a shy smile.

"I walked right into that one," she said lamely.

"I couldn't resist," he admitted. "And I love it when you blush."

"It's a Swan thing. There are a long line of Swans who bear this curse."

"Well, it's an adorable curse," he said. "Probably just as adorable as seeing you grumpy in the morning."

"It might grow old quickly for anyone who inherits the misfortune of cohabitating with me in the future," she said mischievously.

"Not if he is a man who has a certain skill for altering moods," he said with an equal amount of mischief.

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"I'd like to think I'm a pretty resourceful guy," he said, quite pleased with himself.

"I'm inclined to agree. You can be quite charming, dazzling even when you want to be. Especially when you're intimidating people who don't understand how protective you are of the people you care about." She looked pointedly into his eyes, allowing her meaning to sink in.

"Dazzling?" He latched onto the first part of her sentence, ignoring the latter part completely.

"Edward," she said in a warning tone.

He grimaced. "James told you about our little conversation, huh?"

"Reluctantly," she said. He mumbled an expletive.

"James is not a bad guy. He became dependent upon pain meds when he was injured at a martial arts tournament several years ago. He hit rock bottom very quickly. He even got into trouble with the law, but he's faced those demons and he's managed to tame them. Tallahassee is a new beginning for him and his family."

"I applaud him and his new beginning," Edward said calmly. "But I've seen a lot of addiction in my line of work, and it is difficult to kick. If he had a relapse you could be hurt, Bella. Not just emotionally, but physically. And I will never stand aside and let him do that to you. Even if you choose him, I will always be watching out for you."

"Why is that? Why would you selflessly make a sacrifice in your personal life to secure my safety?"

"To be honest," he said. "It's hard to explain. I feel very protective of you, because you have touched something in me that no other woman has ever even come close to."

"It's the divine in you that identifies with the divine in me. You have a good heart, Edward. There is also something powerful that resides in James' heart. He has a strong faith, and even if he does relapse, he will always find his way back. I believe that because I share that faith," she said softly. "There is evidence that you have it, too. It might be covered over by years of rejection and denial, but I see it there. It is what allows you to say that even if I chose him, you would still be looking out for me."

Bella realized that she might have said too much too soon. He had been hurt so deeply by organized religion, to hear anything remotely related to it in regard to his life could be just a bit much. She would have to be careful because she didn't want to push him away. He was too important to her to do that. She would honor her vow to accept him the way that he was, because even if he never changed, she was slowly becoming convinced that her feelings for him absolutely would not.

~888~

**EPOV**

After lunch they took a stroll around Lake Ella. Fred Drake Park bordered Lake Ella on the east and had picnic shelters, a site for community activities, amateur astronomy, and a paved walking trail that completely encircled the lake. It was bordered on the west by quaint little shops and cafes and was a popular walking spot for families, couples and friends. Edward held Bella's hand and shared easy conversation with her as they walked, honoring the due diligence required in new relationships during the "getting to know you" phase. He found they had an uncanny number of things in common. Even things in which they were polar opposites were, at the very least, complementary. He knew that Bella loved music, but he was doubly impressed that she knew and liked a fairly decent number of country music artists.

"So what's the story behind you knowing country music so well?" They had found a bench in a shaded area near the shops that had an excellent view of the lake, where they sat ignoring any view that didn't involve them looking at each other.

"My parents tell me that when I was about four years old, they got me my first radio. I tuned it to a country station and that's where it stayed exclusively for about a year. It helped that during this same time I was a minority at church, in my gymnastics program, and other activities I was involved in. All my friends liked country music, Christian contemporary, rock, hip hop. And my parents influenced me with classical, jazz, gospel, soft rock, and R&B. I just love music period. I mean there isn't much I don't like. So, are you an exclusive classical, rock and country music man?

"Primarily, but I like my fair share of jazz and R&B and well, any music that's good."

"How long have you been playing the piano?" she asked.

"Since before my feet were able to touch the pedals," he answered. "My mother is quite an accomplished pianist herself, and she toured around the world, playing all the concert venues before she married my father. She taught me to play and insisted on daily practice when I was growing up, but that wasn't something I needed any coaxing to do. I've always loved it."

"I regret not learning to play an instrument well. I took piano for a couple of years in school. I can play just well enough to make good pianists cringe," Bella confessed. "Gymnastics took up so much of my time, but I really loved it, too."

He loved how Bella didn't make a big deal of his mother's accomplishments and his allusion to his privileged childhood. He had a sizeable trust fund sitting in a bank in Seattle where his mother had grown up. It became available to him when he was twenty-one. The only time he had ever touched it in his adult life was when he'd set up an anonymous stipend to be sent to Mrs. Featherstone every month for as long as she lived.

"There's always time to improve. You should try it again. I can show you chord progressions that will allow you to play anything you want."

"Okay, I've got you on the hook for two things. Looks like I might have to keep you around for a while," she teased.

"That's the plan." He smiled back at Bella, noticing her cheeks pink up almost immediately.

~888~

**BPOV**

The rest of the weekend flew by. Bella attended service at her dad's church on Sunday because she missed his preaching and singing with her home church choir. James had lunch with some people from his new church, but they met later at her place. Because it was such a hot day, they decided to take a dip in the pool. After they changed, Bella got a glorious eyeful of a shirtless James again. She remembered seeing him around his parents' pool in Atlanta, and he was extremely nice to look at in a bathing suit. The years of martial arts training were evident in his sinewy muscular frame. From the look in his eyes, she could tell that he liked what he saw of her in her suit, too. She wore a modest one-piece, although she owned several bikinis. It was cut in a way that made it extremely sexy even though it had the illusion of covering up more skin. They frolicked around in the water for a while, then grabbed takeout from Japanica, a local Japanese restaurant, and rented a movie.

When the food was consumed and the movie ended, they continued to sit on the floor in front of her sofa and talked. James retrieved his acoustic guitar from his car, and they sang a few songs together. Bella loved that they sang well together; it was what made her feel closest to him. They sang several Nichole Nordeman songs, because they agreed she was one of the best lyricists in contemporary Christian music.

The end of their evening together came too soon. She found herself in his arms and for the first time was absolutely wowed by his kiss. It didn't quite reach the magnitude of an Edward Cullen kiss, but it definitely turned her on. Apparently, James had decided that he wasn't holding back anymore; she saw unbridled desire in his blue eyes for the first time.

"Bella, you are everything I could ever dream of wanting or needing in a woman," he whispered urgently against her lips. "I could very easily fall in love with you."

Bella stiffened in his arms when she heard those words. "I don't know how advisable that is, considering our current situation," she replied softly.

"What if I couldn't help myself? Feelings don't have brakes that you can apply to slow or stop them. They tend to develop of their own volition without giving you any say in the matter."

She removed herself from his embrace and started picking up the takeout containers on the table. She needed to busy herself with the mundane because this was getting too heavy for her. When she had as many items as she could carry in her arms, she looked up at him again.

"I only know that I like you a lot, James. And before you came around, I met someone else that I like, a lot. I'm sorry that I'm not anywhere close to a decision right now, but I don't want you to become so invested in me that you don't guard your own heart. I don't want to hurt you, if this should go the other way."

"I want to believe that it won't be necessary for me to guard my heart," he said, forcing a smile. "But you're right. If things should not work out the way I'm hoping, I do want us to be able to emerge from this as friends. I care too much for you to lose you entirely." He picked up the other items on the table and followed her into the kitchen.

Bella was thankful that by walking away from him and into the kitchen she didn't have to look into his eyes. She felt like she was suffocating. How could he already be falling for her? This wasn't supposed to be happening so fast. James was sweet and had so much to offer, but she didn't know if he was "the one." And she didn't want him to go all in when she wasn't sure what her decision would be in the end. They made short work of discarding empty containers and placing glasses in the dishwasher.

James hugged her from behind as she straightened up from the dishwasher, enveloping her in his strong arms and careful to wrap his arms in such a way that he wasn't touching her too intimately. She closed her eyes and relaxed her back against his muscular chest. Bella knew that James would be true to his word. He would cherish her and do everything he could to make her happy. Could she be happy with a man who could offer her a strong abiding love within the context of her faith, even though there was someone else who offered her an unpredictable, volatile kind of love that was long on passion and ambiguous on faith? She knew that when she could answer that question, her decision would be made.

~888~

**EPOV**

Edward was perched in a fucking deer stand on a hill about a half mile from the Church of the Greater Son. There were about a dozen cars in the lot, one of which was a dark green Jaguar belonging to Bishop Aro Volturi. The others were, he surmised as did the Feds, various office staff. The final car that arrived – a black SUV – carried two suited characters who looked like muscle men. He and all the federal agents and local law enforcement backup on this operation had been strategically monitoring the activity at COGS since before dawn. Edward had been in his current position for about an hour, just waiting until he got the "go" signal. He checked his talkie to make sure it was on low and, satisfied, took a sweep across the landscape and the church through the sight on his sniper rifle. No movement, yet.

Sunday night, he and his mother had been visited by "the suit" in charge of the take down and his very own Captain Black. It was a courtesy call because Captain Black wanted to help smooth a path for the Feds by talking Edward into agreeing to their plan. The plan involved his mother going into COGS, wired, and having a conversation with Aro that would seal their case against him. After cursing Special Agent Eric Yorkie and Captain Black six ways from Sunday using every word he had in his arsenal of colorful language, he'd only relented when his mother had overridden him and insisted she would do it.

"Edward Anthony Cullen," she'd scolded. "I'm going to do this, and I don't want to hear another thing about it." He'd felt like he was ten... again. As much as he didn't like to admit it, he was his father's son. Edward Cullen, Sr. was an Alpha male, brash, and fiercely protective of his family. Edward remembered some of his parents' very heated arguments and how his mother, in their final years together, had stood up to him more often than not. Even though he had not been successful in getting his mother to decline the Feds' request, he had been able to insist that he be included in the bust. Special Agent Yorkie had been happy to have someone with his skills in on the operation.

Taking another look through the sight, he simultaneously got an announcement on the talkie. "The dove is descending," a disembodied voice crackled, indicating that his mother was on her way to the church. He found her cobalt blue Cadillac easily in the sight, entering the driveway and slowly approaching the church parking lot. He watched as his mother parked, then got out and made her way to the entrance of the church. She was wearing one of her favorite pastel Chanel suits, looking to the entire world like she was a woman going to pay a visit to her pastor in a mainstream church. Edward's heart seized slightly. Despite all the shit that had happened in his childhood, this was the woman who had carried his troubled ass in her womb for fuck's sake; he was going to protect her with everything he had in him.

After about a half hour, he was getting antsy. The next words coming from the talkie made his blood run cold. "The dove is compromised! The dove is compromised! Wait for my signal." Edward trained the sight on the door of the church, waiting for any sign of movement. With his naked eye, he saw approximately fifteen law enforcement vehicles converge onto the scene, the men in them jumping out and taking various positions of cover behind them. He positioned himself quickly back behind the sight of the rifle. The church door opened, and the first thing he saw emerge was a peek of his mother's powder blue suit; then she was edged forward by a feral looking Aro who was brandishing a handgun that he was nudging into her back. "Stand down. Wait for my signal!" the talkie voice barked.

Edward froze only briefly, then his Marine training took over. He separated the fact that this was his mother from the job in front of him that he had to do. He kept his eye and the crosshairs trained on Aro's head. The two suits who entered the building last were also using women as shields. They emerged just moments behind Aro and his mother with guns and hostages of their own. The two unfortunate office workers were being shown just how much they were valued by the Church of the Greater Son. Edward was primarily interested in only one of the hostages at this point, and he kept his rifle trained on the man who had brainwashed his mother and destroyed his family. He spoke clearly into the talkie. "This is eagle one. I've got a bead on Satan," Edward acknowledged, referring to Aro. Yorkie's voice came back through the talkie: "Eagle one has Satan. Eagle two and three, you got the minions?" "Roger that," they said almost in unison. "On my mark," Yorkie declared. "Take the shots! Take the shots!" he yelled seconds later.

Edward took his obligatory breath and held it, steadied the crosshairs, and squeezed. Then all hell broke loose in the Church of the Greater Son's parking lot. Aro's head popped like a grape, spewing blood and brain matter all over his mother and her beautiful suit. Aro went down, taking his mother with him. She looked like Jackie Kennedy in the often played video of President Kennedy's assassination as she crawled a short distance away from Aro, but couldn't seem to get her bearings. The minions went down seconds later, their hostages running frantically in opposite directions. The bodies of Aro and his henchmen were shot several times by the officers on the ground. The other two female hostages were corralled by the officers and placed under cover behind their vehicles. They all still had their guns trained toward the front door of the church, while a few broke rank and went around to cover the back. Yorkie got on a bullhorn and called to the people still left in the building.

Edward wasn't waiting for the rest of this to unfold. He practically jumped out of the deer stand and took off running full speed toward his mother, who he realized was still in harm's way if anyone came out of the church with a weapon. Before he could reach her, the remaining six people came out, waving a white cloth of some type and filed out in an orderly procession with their hands clasped behind their heads. There was an elderly man and woman in what appeared to be janitorial uniforms and four other men. Edward sprinted past them, making a beeline for his mother, who was being helped up by one of the Feds and a Sheriff's deputy.

"Mom," he growled as he ran up to her, pulling her gently to him and out of the assisting hands of the two men. "Are you all right?"

"Edward," she cried, collapsing into his arms. She was bloody and disheveled, but didn't look like she had suffered any life-threatening injuries. Then she whimpered with pain as she tried to put weight onto her left leg to walk with him. "Oh damn," she muttered, the shock leaving and tears beginning to flow. "I think I sprained my ankle."

Edward looked into the green eyes of his sobbing mother. She had never looked more beautiful to him. "I've got you. Lean on me," he said proudly, hugging her tightly. "Everything's gonna be all right, Mom."

~888~

A/N**: Paul Featherstone's Verse**: **"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. -- Mark 15:13"**

**  
****Nichole Ellyse Nordeman** **(born January 3****, ****1972) is a nine time Dove Award winning contemporary Christian American singer–songwriter. Her best-known songs include "Why," "This Mystery," "Holy", "Legacy," "Brave," and "What If." She also sang a song on the soundtrack **_**Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia**_**, called "I Will Believe."**


	13. Ch 12 TLC: Crisis Aftermath

**A/N: As of this writing TLC has 155 Alerts, 118 Faves, and 240 Reviews. I am honored to have your support. You all know who you are. I give you all a round of applause for your dedication.**

**I really want to thank my betas, SSHG316 and Charmie77, for agonizing with me through blood, sweat and tears to get this chapter out. Well, there wasn't actually any blood or tears, but that sounded good, right? But these two actually worked through their weekends to help me get this out tonight. Without their input, this chapter would have been an unreadable mess! My other beta acireamos is going to school and is really busy, but I miss her and hope she will come back to me soon. Props to JennDay for always being willing to be my third set of eyes in a pinch. Please read the A/N below for some important information about my future posting schedule.**

**I have been remiss in recommending other stories in my A/N, so I want to remedy that this time: **

**I have been really enjoying "Volition" by Rochelle_Allison. http://www dot fanfiction dot net/s/5115662/1/Volition. This is a beautiful love story set in 1972, told against the backdrop of the IRA and "The Troubles." You will not be disappointed.**

**Another recommendation I would implore you to read is "The Cold War" by Gleena. This story is complete, so no waiting for updates. http://www dot fanfiction dot net/s/4852413/1/The_Cold_War. It is 20 years post Breaking Dawn and fabulous.**

**I have been corresponding with both these authors and they are wonderful women who write beautifully. I am proud to be counted among them and look forward to a growing friendship with them both.**

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**"Crises refine life. In them you discover what you are."  
****Allan K. Chalmers**

**"Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are." – 1 Corinthians 7:26**

**Chapter 12 – TLC: Crisis Aftermath**

**BPOV**

Bella, Alice, and several of the volunteers were in the the Center's common room Monday morning preparing a mass mailing for the year-end festival. All the preparations for the concert were complete, except for the piano tuning scheduled for Tuesday and the decorating to be done the night before the event. They had a productive little assembly line going and were working through the letters to be sent out fairly quickly. Bella found herself watching the parking lot, expecting a blue and white squad car to pull in at any moment. However, it was almost noon, and he had not shown this morning. She knew that Edward's regular routine was to go into the precinct at 11 a.m. and then report to the Center at 2:30 p.m., but lately he had been coming in earlier, just like she and most of the volunteers were. She had wondered where he was quite a few times over the course of the morning, but had pushed those thoughts out of her head each time.

_He's not your employee,_ she told herself. _He's entitled to come in whenever he likes._

Bella had been excited that she would get to see him today, just as she had been everyday lately. It was somewhat of a letdown to not get the few minutes of alone time she was becoming accustomed to having with him in the morning before the other volunteers arrived. Alice looked at her across the table and smiled when Bella turned back from yet another glance toward the parking lot. Bella smiled back, her cheeks growing warm because she had been caught.

A cellphone buzzed insistently, creasing the companionable silence they had fallen into while stuffing the envelopes. They all started, but then went back to working as Alice retrieved her phone out of her purse. She looked at the caller ID first and smiled. Bella thought it might be Jasper, but then realized it wasn't after Alice's greeting.

"Hi, Mom," Alice said sweetly. Her face went from serene happiness, to increasing concern, to shock in a matter of seconds.

"What? Is Aunt Elizabeth going to be all right?" Alice asked urgently, fanning her face as tears popped out like beads from the corner of her eyes. "Where's Edward?"

"Okay, Mom, just a sec." Alice gestured toward the television on the stand in the corner opposite the piano. "Quick, somebody turn on the TV!"

Sean hopped up and turned on the television. There was a breaking news flash on the local ABC affiliate.

The news anchor, Lauren Mallory, was giving details of an early morning bust at Church of the Greater Son. Bella's heart skipped several beats, and she was immediately concerned for Edward and his mother.

"If you've just joined us, we've interrupted our regular broadcast programming to bring you breaking news from a location near the Leon-Wakulla County line. This morning, the FBI, ATF, and a team of local law enforcement officials from Leon and Wakulla counties surprised the leadership of The Church of the Greater Son with arrest warrants. Warrants had been issued for the church's leader, Bishop Aro Volturi, and six others who were indicted by a grand jury earlier this month on various weapons and money laundering charges. The attempted peaceful arrest erupted into a showdown that authorities had been concerned could escalate into something reminiscent of the incident in Waco about a decade ago. The bust was timed to occur when the least number of loyalists to the group would be on site in order avoid an incident of that magnitude. However, huge caches of weapons and cash were found in the basement of the compound, which underscored just how volatile this incident could have been. We're taking you now to our very own Leah Clearwater, who is interviewing Captain Billy Black at the scene."

Bella gasped as she recognized Edward standing in the background behind the reporter and Captain Black, dressed in camouflage and talking with a man in a suit and another officer.

"Hey, isn't that Edward?" Sean asked incredulously.

"Shhhh," Bella hissed loudly, clutching at her heart, which was now beating like a jackhammer. In that moment she didn't care if she was being polite. She pushed her chair back and walked over to Sean. Taking the remote out of his hand, she turned the volume up. She needed to hear clearly what was going on because Edward was involved, and the thought of him having been in harm's way produced a pain within her heart that she couldn't bear, let alone define. Her eyes were glued to the television, but soon she felt someone come to stand next to her. Not tearing her eyes away from the television, she saw out of her peripheral vision that it was Alice, who also stood transfixed by the scene being revealed before their eyes, tears now streaming down her face. Bella moved to put her free arm around her, and Alice's arm wove tightly around Bella's shoulders in response as they comforted one another silently, taking in every word of the news report.

Bella had known about the imminent arrest of the leaders of the Church of the Greater Son. Edward himself had told her about it, but she was under the impression that it would be handled by the feds and neither he nor his mother would be so intimately involved. As she gradually became relieved of the fear that had gripped her while the story had been unfolding; Bella thanked God that Edward had come through everything okay. But what about his mother? Alice was upset, so something had gone awry this morning and she wanted to know what. Maybe the news report would have more information.

"Captain Black," Leah said. "Can you give us some details on what happened here?"

"Yes," he said, clearing his throat loudly. "We were asked several weeks ago to assist in this operation after federal indictments were handed down for the Bishop and six of his associate pastors, if you will. The Tallahassee Police Department, together with the FBI, ATF, Leon and Wakulla County sheriff's departments, descended on The Church of the Greater Son's compound this morning to arrest the Bishop and the others involved. However, there was a wired civilian who was formerly a member of the church who went in to secure a final piece of incriminating evidence. The civilian became compromised, and the Bishop and his muscle took her and two other women in the building hostage in order to try and make an escape. The Bishop and two others were taken down by our sharp shooters, the hostages were rescued, and the other four men indicted were taken into custody."

"Were any law enforcement officers or civilians harmed in the process?" she inquired.

"Besides a sprained ankle and some post traumatic stress on the part of the civilians involved, all are doing well and are accounted for, as are all of the law enforcement officers who were involved." Captain Black was succinct.

"Can you give us the names of any of the civilians involved?" Leah pressed.

"We won't be releasing any names until the families of those involved have been contacted," Captain Black said stoically.

"There you have it folks..." Leah continued, but Bella was no longer listening. She heard a quiet sniffle and looked down into Alice's tear-stained face.

"Bella, will you drive me to the hospital? They're probably at Tallahassee Memorial." she said solemnly as fresh tears trailed down her cheeks.

"Of course, I will sweetie," Bella cooed. She pulled her tiny friend into her arms for a hug. "Let me get Sean to take over for me, okay?"

Alice nodded vigorously and wiped her tears away with both hands as Bella released her.

Bella walked over to Sean. "I'm going to take Alice over to TMH to see if she can find her aunt," she whispered to Sean. "Please keep things going if I'm not back by 2:30, okay?"

"Sure thing, Bella," Sean replied.

~888~

Bella and Alice located where Elizabeth Cullen was in the ER at Tallahassee Memorial within the hour. Esme and a priest from the Episcopal church were already there and in a private waiting room. Alice embraced both her mother and the priest, and then Esme filled them in on Elizabeth's condition.

"Elizabeth has been sedated. She has a badly sprained ankle, but no other physical injuries." Esme paused and took a shuddering breath, her eyes welling with tears. "I can't imagine having to do what she did. She went in there wired and secured some very damaging information on the Church of the Greater Son, but Aro insisted on hugging her at the conclusion of their meeting and discovered the wire. He tried to use her as a human shield to get away, but he was taken down, and by Edward's shot, I understand." She shook her head incredulously. "Oh God, he had to have nerves of steel to protect his mother like that. Edward was here with her until they got her settled in, but he had to go back to the scene, so I promised I'd look after her. She's going to be fine. They're admitting her for observation overnight." Esme concluded, her expression weary but relieved.

Bella stayed on the periphery, allowing the family and their clergy to interact freely. She didn't want to impose, but Esme walked over to her with open arms, too.

"Bella," she said, giving her a warm hug. "It's so nice of you to come. I'm glad Alice wasn't behind a wheel alone after hearing the news. Thank you."

"Alice means the world to me. I'd never let her handle a crisis alone," Bella said.

"And she feels the same about you," Esme said, smiling warmly. She drifted back to her chair next to the priest, and they began talking quietly again.

Bella couldn't sit or relax. She kept vigil close to the door, her thoughts only for the green-eyed sniper who had allegedly saved the day. She worried, however, not for his physical safety now, but his emotional state.

Jasper came rushing in at that moment and scooped Alice up. She clung to him and wouldn't let go. He shook the priest's hand and greeted Esme and Bella from the corner of the sofa where he took up residence with his wife.

Carlisle entered the room next. He nodded a greeting to all in the room he hadn't seen before.

"They're close to putting her in a room," he announced. "Probably within the next half hour."

"Is Aunt Elizabeth awake?" Alice asked.

"No, she's still sleeping," Carlisle said. "Which is good; protects her from the stress."

Esme nodded in agreement. The door swung open again and in walked Rosalie in full uniform.

"How's Mrs. Cullen?" she asked anxiously.

"Her left ankle is badly sprained, but she'll be fine," Carlisle said. "She's resting now and will be moved to a room shortly for overnight observation."

"I'll text Em and let him know. He wanted to be here, but he can't leave the school grounds until dismissal," Rosalie said to the family in general.

Rosalie let out a relieved breath and went directly to the corner where Jasper and Alice were seated, giving Bella an acknowledging nod before she began to text furiously on her cellphone. Carlisle talked for a few minutes, staying close to his wife, but soon had to return to work.

After Carlisle left, Bella paced near the door with her arms folded. She wondered again how Edward was doing. She knew he had been required to take lives while he was in the Marines, and intrinsic in his position as a police officer was the possibility that he would have to draw and use a weapon from time to time, but she couldn't imagine how he would deal with the crisis of having to take the life of a man who was holding his mother as a hostage. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously and prayed a silent prayer for him, his mother, and his family. She was making another pass of the door in her pacing when she paused and looked out the small window into the hallway. Standing about fifty feet from her at the nurses' station was Edward. Her heart rate sped up again.

He was talking to another police officer and a nurse. He was in the same BDU* cammies he had been wearing when she saw him on the news earlier. His arms were folded and his head was bowed as he listened intently. When he looked up and saw her in the window, his sullen, dead expression became vibrant and animated in a split second. He moved involuntarily toward her, then turned briefly back to the nurse and the officer. He said something in parting to them, still drifting toward the waiting room. He then pivoted, locked eyes with her, and made a beeline to the door where she was standing. Bella stepped outside the waiting room to meet him.

He closed the distance between them in what seemed like four steps. Bella opened her mouth to ask him how he was, but he embraced her so tightly and quickly that she felt her feet leave the floor. They didn't exchange words for a few seconds, just gave and received the comfort they both needed and wanted in that moment. He finally released her and stepped back, his hands gripping her upper arms as he looked desperately into her eyes.

"Thanks for being here," he murmured.

"Are you okay?" Bella inquired softly.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine," he said, but there was a slight grimace. She couldn't comprehend what turmoil must be going on in his head.

She touched both sides of his face with her hands and tiptoed to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Are you sure?"

He forced a smile. "My mother is fine and you're here. I'm good," he insisted.

Bella was not convinced, but she didn't press. "Your family's in here," she said, turning the doorknob to open the door.

He took her hand and removed it from the knob, then held both her hands to his heart. His green eyes were moist. "I'm not really fine, but I will be. There was nothing I wanted more than to see Aro Volturi pay for what he did to my family. He's gone now, but revenge wasn't what I thought it would be."

Bella remembered her father describing his anguish at having had to shoot a man once. He had confessed from the pulpit that no matter how much one prepared for it or how many times it happened, no one could prepare for the emotional trauma that followed. She was not surprised that Edward had those same feelings of remorse for having taken a life. Her heart ached for him.

"He had your mother—you had no choice but to take the shot. When you take a life in the line of duty, you are exempted from any repercussions in the eyes of God and man; you are not judged for it," Bella said vehemently. "It may sound cliché, but it's the truth."

He kissed her lips softly, holding her close again. "I have an appointment with Dr. Levy tomorrow morning. Anytime a firearm is discharged resulting in the injury or death of a human being by the use of deadly physical force, we're required to _see_ someone. Good thing I'm already doing that," he said blandly, shrugging his shoulders infinitesimally.

Bella squeezed him tight. Her feelings were so jumbled. In addition to an overwhelming relief that everything had worked out and both he and his mother were safe, Bella also felt something else, which she couldn't quite pinpoint yet. Simultaneously, she felt tears stinging her eyes, which surprised and frightened her all at once. She blinked them back and swallowed to keep from sobbing helplessly in his arms. Instead, she chose to concentrate on how happy she was to see him. Maybe this is what her mother had felt when her dad had close calls when he was still on the force. She only knew that at that very moment, she was so happy that Edward was good at his job, and she hoped that he would always do everything he knew to do to come back from dangerous assignments.

As he released her, Bella laced the fingers of her hands into his and smiled, "I am so proud of you." When her words elicited his trademark crooked smile, only then was she satisfied that, with time, he would truly be all right.

~888~

**EPOV**

Edward found himself in Dr. Levy's office at 10 a.m. Tuesday morning. Ironically, his mother was currently just down the hall with Dr. Turlington, a colleague of Dr. Levy's. Carlisle had called in a favor, and Edward was grateful for his intervention. His mother had endured a fitful night at the hospital, and he had stayed at her side, eventually drifting off on the chaise that folded out into an almost comfortable faux bed. Leaving the hospital around 8 a.m., Edward had driven them out to Crawfordville where they'd showered, eaten a quick breakfast, and then returned immediately to Tallahassee for their appointments.

Dr. Levy was eager to walk Edward through his experience of the day before and gave him some coping mechanisms to deal with the incident. However, things became a little uncomfortable for Edward when Dr. Levy mentioned Paul.

"What do you think Corporal Featherstone might have felt about what happened yesterday, Edward?"

_Now why the fuck did you have to go there, Doc?_

Edward shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a muscle working frantically in his jaw. He looked away from Dr. Levy's eyes and studied the wallpaper pattern like it was the Dead Sea scrolls or some shit. It pissed him off that Paul had even been mentioned in the same conversation as Aro Volturi. However, he realized that Dr. Levy more than likely had a method to his madness, or he hoped like hell he did because he was going to suggest he go fuck himself if he didn't.

"Paul was a Marine's Marine. He would have believed that we'd taken the life of one to protect many—kill or see innocent people killed," Edward said, as if reciting a mantra.

"Would it be fair to say that you and he saw things roughly the same way?"

"Yeah, we had very similar views about most things," Edward admitted grudgingly.

"Then it wouldn't be a stretch to say that you took Aro Volturi's life in the line of duty, because he would have taken the lives of innocents if necessary in order to get away." Dr. Levy pointedly did not state the obvious.

Aro would have killed his mother with no remorse if his attempt to escape had been compromised.

"Not at all," Edward agreed. He breathed a sigh of relief, believing the line of questioning about Paul was over. But a new wave of questions came immediately after that admission, making his gut clench and bile rise unbidden in his throat.

"Do you think Corporal Featherstone would believe that you've finally redeemed yourself, Edward?"

Edward swallowed convulsively, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He then looked as squarely at Dr. Levy as he could. "Paul took his oath of loyalty a lot more seriously than I did. I can't say that I have redeemed myself, yet, no."

"He gave his life so you could live Edward, and his faith would have dictated to him that he was doing it for a higher purpose. The beginning of that purpose just might have been served yesterday. Would the operation have been as successful without your participation? Would your mother's life have been saved were you not around? These questions are moot because of Paul's sacrifice for you, aren't they?"

Edward felt a modicum of relief at those words. Paul would definitely see the turn of events as the express will of the God they'd both embraced at an early age. But Paul had clung to his faith, despite growing up in a rough neighborhood most of his life and being raised by a single mother. Edward had grown up having both parents but in separate increments, and their dysfunction had driven a wedge between him and God that was wider than the fucking Grand Canyon. And the chasm had widened even more as he had been subjected to Marcus' brutality and then his father's life of debauchery, which he had emulated to seek his approval. Not that it had made any difference; his father had never supported him when he needed it most. While he had been in the Corps, Paul's friendship had moved him closer to feeling like he had someone else in the world. The last time he had felt that prior to his friendship with Paul had been whenever he was in the same city with his Uncle Carlisle and his family, or in Crawfordville with Emmett and his friends. Now he felt like that because of Bella. She was like a female version of Paul, he realized.

Edward couldn't help himself; he smirked mirthfully. "I guess they are," he finally agreed.

~888~

**BPOV**

Officer Seth Clearwater was temporarily assigned to the Center while Edward was on Administrative Leave for a few days. It was a good thing Seth had come over and gone through some security drills with the volunteers and Edward had already shown him what needed to be done. Bella and the volunteers welcomed Seth, who was doing a great job, but they all missed Edward. Mrs. Cullen had gone home from the hospital on Tuesday, and Edward had been able to be home with her, as well as fulfill his obligation to talk to his therapist about the incident. He called Bella every day, but it wasn't the same. She missed seeing him in the flesh but understood that he needed to take care of his mother and himself in the aftermath of a traumatic experience. Bella told him she was considering postponing the concert, but he wouldn't hear of it. He insisted that his mother's prognosis was good and that he would be eager to get out of Crawfordville in a few days.

James invited Bella to go with him to practice with his choir and praise team at Reformed Baptist on Wednesday night. She told him she would go along, but just as an observer. She felt that he should give his regular soloists a chance to shine before bringing in a guest singer. He agreed, albeit reluctantly. He was very anxious for them to sing together at church, but she wasn't ready to leave her dad's church just yet, and if things didn't work out with them, it would make for a very awkward situation later. However, it was fascinating watching James work.

Bella met and bonded with a gorgeous Brazilian girl named Vitória Maria Teixeira, who insisted that Bella call her Maria. She was a member of the choir, and they sat together in the second soprano section. She wasn't aware that Bella had come with James, and she shared some rather funny revelations about him with Bella.

"Our new Music Minister is stiff, no?" Maria whispered to Bella.

"Um, what do you mean?" Bella inquired back in a whisper.

"I think he either hates my accent or my guts. I'm not sure which," Maria said. "He refused to let me sing my usual solo because he said I don't 'enunciate' properly. English may be my second language, but I know music."

"You need to stand up to him and let him know that you don't agree with him, then," Bella said. That sounded like James. He was a purist when it came to music; he strove for perfection.

"Really?" Maria asked, smirking. "I don't know if I can do that. He's cute, but he kinda scares me.

Bella giggled. "He won't bite. He comes across that way until you get to know him."

"He may not bite, but I certainly could," Maria admitted, pursing her lips suggestively.

Bella raised an eyebrow, but didn't challenge Maria as she might have if she considered herself and James dating exclusively. However, Maria read her expression before she could mask her surprise.

"_Ai meu Deus do céu!" _she exclaimed in her native tongue. "Is he your man? Sorry for stepping on your feet... I mean toes. When I am surprised or angry, I launch into Portuguese and get my English translations all wrong."

Bella smiled, amused by the woman's antics. "We've been dating, yes," she answered truthfully. "And it really doesn't offend me that other women find him attractive."

"I am not the only single, young professional woman here at Reformed wondering about him," Maria warned. "As you say here in America, 'better bring your A Game,' meu Amado."

Bella didn't know why she wasn't more threatened by the prospect that other women were interested in James. She guessed it was because she trusted him, as a man of faith, to never act on their interest. Not as long as he was dating her. He was essentially a one-woman man.

Bella liked Maria because she was gutsy and direct, much like herself. By the end of the choir practice session, Maria had expressed an interest in volunteering at the Center in the fall, and they had exchanged phone numbers and emails.

After they left the church, Bella and James enjoyed dinner at his place for the first time since he'd been in town. He grilled steaks and baked potatoes, and Bella whipped up a salad. She made a valiant effort to keep her mind from straying to Edward and what was going on with him. James noted her preoccupation and commented.

"Jasper told me about what went down with Edward, his mother, and that cult," he said. "I'm sorry their family had to go through that. Monsters like Aro Volturi are common in the faith community, unfortunately." James sounded genuine, but Bella really didn't want to talk about Edward or the recent events involving him with James.

"I'll pass your kind words along to Edward when I talk to him again," she said. She quickly changed the subject. "Let's take a walk and explore your new neighborhood. Your metabolism might not require it, but mine needs a little stimulation these days."

He appraised her form appreciatively. "I actually like your curves. My dad likes to say, 'Even a dog wants more than a bone.' Like father, like son."

"You have got to stop telling me these things about your dad. He's going to think I'm weird the next time I see him, because I'm going to laugh inappropriately," she admonished him, giggling. "Let's just take a brisk walk around the block. It'll make me feel better."

During their walk, James redoubled his efforts to get her to relax and just be with him. He told her hilarious stories about how he and his older sister, Tracey, would play practical jokes on their parents. Bella laughed so hard tears came to her eyes. After their walk, they pulled two dining room chairs together and sat at the table in front of his laptop and played an online game of "Name That Tune." They were neck and neck for most of the game, but James pulled ahead when the genre changed to southern rock. Bella did not know those songs as well, so James won handily. He declared that his prize was a kiss and then proceeded to claim his prize. Bella allowed a rather chaste kiss initially, but when he moved to deepen the kiss, she felt oddly uncomfortable and just could not give it her all. She had decided to go with the flow on this date, because James was trying so hard, but she must have been really tired not to be interested in kissing him back with equal fervor. She supposed the stress of the past few days must have finally caught up with her. James was understanding, thankfully, and so they moved to the sofa and watched an old episode of NCIS on cable.

When James took her home, they said their goodnights at her door because it was a late night for her for midweek and she was really tired. Bella saw that she had a missed call from Edward when she checked her cellphone before turning the ringer back on. She was so tempted to call him, but decided against it. It was late, and she didn't expect that it would be a brief conversation because she missed him so much. It had been three days since she'd seen him, and she was eager to see him in the flesh again. It was, she told herself, to be assured that he was really doing well again after the incident. But as she drifted off to sleep, she admitted that she needed his kiss, his touch, his proximity, and she was rewarded with a doozy of a hyper-orgasmic dream.

~888~

Bella awoke early on Thursday morning despite a relatively late night at James' place. As she lay quietly in her bed at 6:17 a.m., she wrestled futilely with her thoughts. Since Edward had once again been the dominating figure in her dream, it was no surprise to her that it was he who weighed heavily on her mind. The past week's events had only drawn her even more to him. However, as much as she was drawn to him, she was so afraid that maybe it was for all the wrong reasons. She had a powerful attraction to Edward that she knew had been largely sexual in nature in the beginning, but over the past couple of weeks, she had experienced something more with him. It had always been easy for her to be with James because she knew what to expect of him, but now she was developing an easiness with Edward that defied all logic. One of her biggest fears with Edward was that she would not be able to follow the same advice she had given James. Would she be able to guard her heart enough to make the right decision? Her prayers of late had been a continuous plea that she would make a heart decision that she wouldn't live to regret. Had dating both James and Edward at the same time only served to further complicate an already complicated situation? She didn't know anymore.

She threw the sheet off restlessly and sat up on the side of the bed. She was wide awake now, so going back to sleep until her alarm rang at eight was not an option. She quickly took care of her early morning toilette, culminating with a long luxurious shower. When she was done, she dug out her coffee pot, which she had ceased using since she'd become practically addicted to lattes. She would not be heading to the Center until around 9:30 a.m., so she needed just a bit of caffeine to hold her over until she could hit her friendly neighborhood Starbucks. With coffee in hand, Bella put on a Corinne Bailey Rae CD and allowed the lyrics to soothe her into a better mood about her own complex love life. Her favorite books were stacked on the corner of her cocktail table, but the comfort they would give her would be one-sided and one-dimensional at best. She needed a real sounding board. Retrieving her cellphone from her nightstand, she punched Angela on speed dial. She walked back toward the living room. The phone rang only three times before Angela picked up.

"You have impeccable timing, Bellaboo," Angela said cheerfully. "Ben and I were just talking about calling you."

Bella plopped down on the sofa. "Oh yeah, you two got something to tell me?"

"Not what you think," Angela teased. "I have a feeling that might happen within the year... but, we were calling this morning to tell you that our flight will be in at 9 a.m. Saturday morning."

Bella was pleased. "Good. I love you and all, but I didn't want to get up at the butt crack of dawn again to pick you guys up this time."

"You're saved by my good planning and winning personality," Angela quipped.

"And for that I am eternally grateful, ma'am." Bella's teasing dissipated, and she got serious. "Ange, can we talk a few minutes? I don't want to pull you away from Ben if you guys were getting ready to do something or go somewhere."

"We're going to have a late lunch with some friends, but that'll be in the next hour. What's up?"

Bella brought her up to speed on everything that had happened with James and Edward since the last time they'd talked. Angela listened intently and only interjected when she had a question or appropriate comment. Bella concluded by telling her about the rather lackluster kiss she'd shared with James the night before that had been followed by the mega-sex dream she'd had about Edward.

"I know I am a sex-deprived woman and the whole nine, but this is getting ridiculous," Bella concluded.

"Oh, sis," Angela commiserated. "You're falling apart in Tally. I knew I shouldn't have left you for so long."

"Yeah, it's all your fault. You should have been here to give me some play by play advice."

"Sorry I missed the play by play, but here's my honest opinion, Bella. I think you're closer to making a decision than you think."

"Really. Why?"

"Because your heart is leaning in an obvious direction, but you're allowing your fear to get the better of you," Angela said bluntly.

Bella had to admit, if she were forced to make her decision today, she would have to choose James, because she was terrified that Edward would tire of her eventually. She wasn't the kind of girl he was accustomed to. Even he had admitted that their relationship was new territory. Would they be able to sustain a relationship without having the same belief system? She wanted to believe that they could, but statistics were not on their side. Everything that Edward had been saying and doing lately made her have hope that they could defy the odds, but there were no guarantees. Choosing James would be a no-brainer, but if she did, would she regret not taking the risk of maybe finding something beyond her wildest dreams?

"You're right," Bella agreed. "My heart is leaning in an obvious direction, but will my heart be able to take it if that direction proves to be fatal?"

~888~

On Thursday, Alice left the Center about an hour before dismissal, making a lame excuse about meeting Jasper somewhere for some unnamed activity. Bella gave her grief about it, but allowed her to go with her blessing. When all the children were gone, Bella was packing up her belongings to leave when she heard a commotion in the common room and looked out to see the volunteers talking to Edward. He was dressed in civvies and looking much more relaxed than he was when she'd last seen him on Monday. The volunteers were happy to see him and were each giving him words of encouragement, as they were trickling out the door. Bella stepped out of her office as Sean, the final volunteer to leave, was shaking his hand and making his exit.

"Stay strong, Edward," Sean encouraged, clapping him on the back and taking his leave.

"Thanks, man," Edward said. However, his eyes were already on Bella,who was standing in her office door, arms folded, smiling and taking him in.

"Sorry I missed your call last night," she said breathily, as her body began to move of its own volition toward him. "You've been missed around here the last few days."

He met her in the middle of the room and stood only inches away, looking down at her. "I appreciate the well-wishes and words of encouragement, but I've got to be honest. I missed everyone here, too, but the only person who has the ability to bring me out of my administratively-mandated exile is you," he said, piercing her eyes with his own and gently pulling her into his arms.

Bella was glad they had already closed the blinds and prepared to leave for the day. She leaned in and laid her head on his chest. His strong and deliberate heartbeat was a steadying force for her, as being in his arms always made her weak and unstable. She could feel his chin resting lightly on the top of her head.

Realization suddenly dawning on her, she looked up at him with a smirk. "Is Alice in Crawfordville with your mother?"

"Yeah, I called in a favor. She and Jazz are going to make dinner and sit out there with her for a while. Mom's still kinda skittish about everything that happened and doesn't really want to be alone right now," he explained.

Bella was so happy to see him, but she didn't want to come across as too anxious.

"That's understandable," she said. Then her face lit up in a big smile. "So, that means you're free for a few hours. What shall we do?"

He had an answering crooked smile that made her smile even wider, if that were possible. "I thought I'd test the piano first. Alice told me it was tuned and ready."

"Yeah, they came out on Tuesday." She looked toward the piano and then back up at him.

"I thought maybe after piano testing, we could grab a bite to eat and hang out."

"I could cook something at my place," she offered.

"No, I don't want you cooking for us tonight. I'd rather spend the time you would be cooking doing other things."

"Okay," she said, happy to acquiesce to whatever he had planned.

Edward took her hand and led her to the piano bench where he sat and patted the bench beside him. She slid onto the bench beside him, trying to leave space between them so he could play comfortably, but he slid so close their thighs and arms were touching. He ran through a couple of pieces, and Bella became mesmerized by the effortless grace he employed while playing some of the more difficult pieces. He played reverently, almost like a prayer, and it moved her more than words could express. Just as when he had played for her before, she closed her eyes and felt the music moving through her. It was so raw and intimate she felt like the notes were caresses and she could feel them in her soul. When the final piece ended, she opened her eyes to find Edward's smiling face leaning in toward her own.

"You look so beautiful when you get lost in the music like that," he said softly. His sweet cinnamon breath tickled her face, and she couldn't help but smile up at him in return. He touched her lips lightly with his own and then parted them deftly with his tongue. He reached his right hand around her neck behind her hair and gently nudged her closer, deepening the kiss. Within seconds, their tongues were fencing as though in a repartee, their mouths hot and sweet.

Bella snaked her arms around his waist and held him as tightly as she could considering the way they were sitting on the bench. He wound his arms around her torso and gave her an answering squeeze. He then gradually released her mouth, and they both took deep breaths, Bella's sounding more like a sigh.

"Come on," he smirked. "Let's get you something to eat before you get grumpy."

~888~

A/N: **Dear** **Readers, Lurkers, and Faithful Reviewers: I appreciate you all so very much for the faith you have placed in me and my writing. I feel like you have given me so much validation in your unwavering support. Please do not give up on me or this story because I intend to stick with it until the very end. Real life is challenging right now, to say the very least. I've been churning out a good-sized chapter every week and I need a bit of time to refuel. So, the next chapter will be a bit longer in coming to you. I will try not to take such a long hiatus that you forget me, but I hope you understand I need to reconnect with my family and reassure them that fan fiction has not replaced them. This chapter was very much a transition chapter, but the next Chapter brings us the Concert and Bella's big decision. I'm looking forward to making it the best it can be for you. Thanks, Bev**

_**Ai meu Deus do céu! - OMG in Portuguese. Literally translated it means, 'Oh my God, In Heaven."**_

_**Meu Amado - Sweetheart.**_

**BDU cammies - Battle Dress Uniform camouflage.**


	14. Ch 13 TLC: Can't Be Without You, Baby

**A/N:** **My heartfelt** **thanks to SSHG316, Charmie77 and acireamos for beta'ing TLC. They are accomplished writers and very busy women in their own rights and I truly appreciate the time they take to edit and polish TLC until it shines. I am so grateful to have them. **

**If you are in the Twilight or Harry Potter fandom, please read SSHG316, or Shug's stories, as we affectionately call her. I am in awe of her talent and her writing style is beautiful and polished. Please read this fabulous Twilight one shot entitled "Mizpah" and vote: http:// www dot fanfiction dot net /s/5486823/1**

**I know I am probably behind a lot of other people who have already recommended these stories, but here are a few I've been reading and really enjoying: "Coming To Terms" by GinnyW_31, "The Colony" by shell29bell and "MensRea: A Guilty Mind" by forbidden-fruit81**

**These stories are all unique and I love them all for different reasons. Coming To Terms is a mature romance which shows how two people deal with a night of passion and the results of it. The character arcs in this story and the family dynamics are phenomenal (And I developed a little crush on this Edward!). The Colony reads like a Michael Crichton scientific thriller and the way the characters become family draws you in. And if you like Law And Order, you will love Means Rea. Read them. You'll see what I mean.**

**Please let these authors know that I sent you there in your reviews. Thanks!**

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**BE WITHOUT YOU**

**by Mary J. Blige**

**I wanna be with you, gotta be with you, need to be with you  
I wanna be with you, gotta be with you, need to be with you**

**Chemistry was crazy from the get-go  
Neither one of us knew why  
We didn't build nothing overnight  
Cause a love like this takes some time  
People swore it off as a phase  
Said we can't see that  
Now from top to bottom  
They see that we did that (yes)  
It's so true that (yes)  
We've been through it (yes)  
We got real shit (yes)  
See baby we've been...**

**Too strong for too long (and I can't be without you baby)  
And I'll be waiting up until you get home (cause I can't sleep without you baby)  
Anybody who's ever loved, ya know just what I feel  
Too hard to fake it, nothing can replace it  
Call the radio if you just can't be without your baby**

**_"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."_ -- Matthew 28:20b NIV**

**Chapter 13 - CAN'T BE WITHOUT YOU, BABY**

**EPOV**

After dropping Bella's car off at her apartment, they went out to dinner at Harry's Seafood Bar & Grille in Kleman Plaza downtown. It was a New Orleans style restaurant with an ambiance reminiscent of a Mardi Gras festival. The walls were festively decorated with the Art of New Orleans and the decor was accented with Mardi Gras beads. Jazz and Zydeco music wafted through the speakers of the sound system which further infused the mystique of New Orleans into the restaurant's atmosphere. The hostess seated them quickly in a booth close to a window overlooking the amphitheater. Harry's served many Bourbon Street favorites like red beans and rice, crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, and shrimp creole. However, after perusing the menu together, they decided to go with Harry's signature seafood dishes. They started with a southern delicacy; fried green tomatoes drizzled with chipotle aioli and feta cheese. Edward chose a pecan-crusted catfish topped with shrimp and Harry's famous voodoo sauce, while Bella chose mahi crabmeat almondine.

Edward had never felt so comfortable with a woman before. He felt like he was a teenager again and just discovering how wonderful it was to be attracted to a girl for the first time. The only difference was that conversation just seemed to flow easily and there was no adolescent shyness. Since the incident at Church of the Greater Son, he had talked to her on the phone every day, but nothing compared to seeing her in the flesh and talking to her face to face. He could not keep his eyes off her when he was anywhere near her. Even now as he sat across from her in the booth, watching her eat the last piece of fried green tomato, he was mesmerized by her beauty. He was like a bee to pollen, and her particular flavor was absolutely irresistible to him. He couldn't read whether he was having the same effect on her, because she was so calm and self-possessed when she was around him—unless they were kissing. He always felt like they both lost control when they were kissing. Not that he was complaining, but it seemed to make Bella just a little uneasy. He was remembering the feel of her lips moving in concert with his, when Bella spoke, snapping him out of his fantasy.

"All the morbid stuff aside, how has the week been for you and your Mom?" she asked, taking a sip of wine.

"Despite the fact that both of us are going to therapy, I'd say our week has been pretty good," he admitted freely. "Elizabeth Masen Cullen in therapy. Never thought I'd see the day."

"This is probably the most traumatic ordeal she's had to endure since the cancer, isn't it?" she asked. She took a bite of her Mahi, chewing thoughtfully as he answered her question.

"You don't understand," he explained, wiping his mouth with his napkin and laying it back in his lap. "When my mother was loyal to Church of the Greater Son, she would never have set foot in the office of a Psychologist."

"Really?" Bella was surprised. "Was that some taboo the church imposed on their members?"

"Just about everything was taboo at COGS," he said dryly. "Much like Mama Boucher in _The Water Boy_, my mother thought everything was of the 'devil.'" His mouth curved into a smirk.

Bella laughed. "Your mother was like the Kathy Bates character in _The Water Boy_?"

He swallowed and grinned sheepishly, "Pretty much."

"No wonder you have such a low opinion of the church," she said sympathetically.

"It wasn't always that way," he offered candidly. "Prior to COGS, we were members of the Episcopal church. I carried a banner during the processional for the Liturgy when I was a kid. Very early in my life I was surrounded by a family that had roots in the church from further back than I'd care to attempt to recall. My fraternal and maternal grandparents were veritable pillars of the faith. My Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme are, too. I thought my mom and dad were, until I was ten and they each chose to worship other gods." Frowning, he took a deep breath and continued. "My parents abandoned me to essentially raise myself. The God I was taught to believe in as a little boy was very close behind them, and He was decidedly absent when I was forced to go to the Church of the Greater Son. My life was just as miserable then as it was when I went back to live with my dad, and God definitely didn't show while I was there." Edward was certain he wasn't able to mask the pain he felt telling Bella of his sordid past. The only others who had heard this from him was his therapists and Paul.

Bella took his hand across the table, locking her eyes with his. She said softly, "Someday, if and when you're ready to hear it, I can recount for you ways He has been there for you, even when you thought He was absent, but you just couldn't see it. Our circumstances have a way of blinding us to divine intervention."

"Paul promised to have a conversation like that with me when we got out of the Corps," he said solemnly.

"Maybe I'm his proxy," she offered, smiling. "But I won't even attempt that conversation with you right now."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because the evidence is clear; you're not ready, yet," she said as she adjusted her napkin on her lap.

The waitress came by and refilled their glasses.

Edward hoped his blatant disdain for all things faith-related wouldn't give her too much pause about his worthiness to be in her life. It was so fucking ironic that one of the things he liked so much about her was her unwavering faith and how much her logic and dedication reminded him of Paul. She certainly read him very well. He was definitely not ready for that conversation after the week he'd had. Dr. Levy had done much to assuage his anxiety and stress about the immediate incident, but he had a distance to go before he could hear anything that resembled a treatise on the existence of God.

"You're right," he agreed. "It has taken eighteen years for me to become so jaded. It will either take a lot of time or a miracle to get me to a place where I can have that conversation."

"Time in itself can sometimes be a miracle," she said, smiling. "Everything that happened this week has been quite miraculous, if you ask me, and it was a few years in coming."

"I can't argue with that," he said, returning her smile. Then his smile faded and his expression turned serious again. "I really meant it when I said I wanted you to have a clear understanding of what you're getting into with me. I need to tell you everything about my past so there won't be any surprises later."

He wanted Bella to know what had happened to him, his family, and more importantly, why he was so leery of the church.

"Okay," she said. "I'm always ready to listen." She ate a forkful of Mahi, but her eyes didn't leave his face.

"My extended family, all the Masens and Cullens, were members of protestant mainstream churches and never strayed from that until my mother decided to leave the fold," he related with a calm that belied his inner anguish. "She was extremely unhappy in her marriage and began to move toward something different. Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme tried to reach out to my mother when they realized she was in trouble, but the lure of unconditional love and a place of importance were too strong, I guess."

"Did COGS target her or something?" she asked, dabbing her mouth with her napkin and placing it back in her lap.

"I didn't know the whole story until recently, but my mother was converted by Aro's brother, Caius, whom she met while sitting on the board of some charitable organization in Indianapolis. I remember my parents having many arguments and my dad flatly refusing to go to this new church she'd decided to join. He recognized the church as the cult that it was, and he wasn't having any part of it. The reality of the situation was, my dad chronically cheated on my mom, which drove her to COGS in the first place. Caius introduced my mother to Aro, and he convinced her that their fledgling church in the south needed her more than the northern branch. She decided to take him up on his offer since her marriage had ended." His throat felt dry, so he drank some water before continuing. Bella took that opening to ask another question.

"How did your parents work out who would get custody of you?"

"They got joint custody," he said with a shrug. "They agreed that my dad would have visiting rights, and I was supposed to live with him every summer so my school year wouldn't be interrupted. I visited him maybe six times from the time I was ten until I was thirteen, and never for a full summer. Every time I went to visit him, he was with another woman. Eventually I stopped going. I felt that witnessing his behavior was the ultimate betrayal of my mom, and I didn't want her to feel that I was siding with him in any way. Mom was pleased when I stopped going on the visits, because she had become even more deeply entrenched into COGS. Dad never pushed it to have me come back, and I never asked. Later, though, I had no other choice, and I had to go back."

Edward remembered with stark clarity how conflicted he had felt about the back and forth between his parents. He had gone from relatively happy well-adjusted ten-year old in a two-parent home to a depressed pre-teen who was handed from parent to parent without any regard for his well-being. On the one hand he'd lived most of the year grappling with the manipulation and control of the Church of the Greater Son, and then exposed for a time to the exorbitant excesses that was his father's chosen lifestyle. Then, as a teenager who was already dealing with the turmoil, angst, and ranging hormones of post-adolescence, he was thrust headlong into that same lifestyle.

"You never really talk about your dad. Are you still in contact with him?" Bella inquired.

"No." His answer was slightly curt and had an air of finality about it. Edward, however, saw the surprise on her face, and remembering his promise to tell her everything, he hastened to explain.

"My dad and I have been estranged since right before I joined the Marines, after that incident with his wife I told you about," he said bitterly.

"You haven't talked to him since you were eighteen?" Bella asked incredulously, her brown eyes wide with disbelief.

"No," he said, feeling no remorse.

"Oh," she said, looking unsure what to say to that. She took a sip of water.

Edward drank the remainder of his wine in one quick swallow. The last thing he wanted was his discomfort talking about his fucked up life to send her the wrong signals. He was quick to reassure her.

"Bella, I know that my issues with my parents are completely foreign to you. There is still a lot I haven't even begun to deal with yet. Dr. Levy is committed to getting me there, but it's going to take time."

"I know. And I really don't want you to feel pressured that you have to tell me anything that you aren't comfortable sharing right now," she protested. "The healing process is sometimes slower than we want it to be, but that's why it is a process. Time allows for more than just the surface to heal."

"You're a wise one for your age," he teased.

"I can't take the credit for those words. That is all Charlie Swan," she said.

"Your dad sounds nothing like the priests I knew in the Episcopal church, and definitely not like the pastors at COGS."

"My dad sees faith very practically." Bella smiled and pushed the bits of food left on her plate around. She was no longer hungry, it seemed, but looked deep in thought before she posed another question. "What was it like, being a member of the COGS?"

Damn! He hadn't thought about that in a long time, let alone told anyone about it, but he felt an overwhelming need to purge himself. Bella had that affect on him. His brow furrowed and he took a few seconds to gather his thoughts.

"It was ultra conservative, legalistic even. They only used one version of the Bible, King James, all others were banned. Of course, Aro reserved the right to supplement or change the language in there at his discretion. They believe you have to be baptized until it sticks. If you displayed any behavior unbecoming to the congregation, you got dunked...a lot. No dancing, no playing cards, definitely no drinking, and no music other than classical, hymns, or praise and worship music. I joined every sport and every club I could at school to avoid spending so much time at that church. There was something going on in that building every day and night. It was overkill. Dating was prohibited. You just waited for God to tell you or some other fortunate soul in the congregation who you are supposed to marry, and then you were supposed to do it without question. I was told early on that I was destined to marry Aro's daughter, Jane. She was a nice enough girl, but I liked this girl at my school, Cayley Nguyen."

"Wow, I see so many red flags flying high in that dogma, and I'm no theologian. So, your first girlfriend was Vietnamese?"

"Yeah, we dated about six months before my mom told Aro. He summoned me to his office, and I was told that even looking at another girl like that after having been promised to his daughter was tantamount to me being as unfaithful to my future wife as my father had been to my mother. He also told me in no uncertain terms that I was required to marry within my own race, or I would be unequally yoked and eternally damned."

"What faulty, ridiculous doctrine! I can't believe people can read the same Bible and come up with some of this stuff." Bella was appalled.

"Here's the kicker. My mother was actually obedient to the arranged marriage tenet. That's why she married Aro's brother, Marcus, and never dated the man a day in her life. Marcus thought that marrying my mother gave him the right to be a father to me, and when I rebelled, he gave me an ultimatum. I would either submit to his authority—meaning various ways and means of corporal punishment—or leave my mother's home. The first time he punished me, my mother cried for days, but Marcus and Aro convinced her that children required the harshest punishment when they were young so they could learn to be obedient as they entered their teen years. One summer night I went to a party with Emmett and some older friends here in Tallahassee. I got pretty drunk. When I got home, Marcus took advantage of my impairment and beat me mercilessly until my mom pulled him off me. I wanted to kill the bastard, and I knew, if I stayed in that house, I would try. I told him and my mother that I would never go to church again. So I was sent to live with dear old Dad until I finished high school."

"And there you lived the Zach Mayo lifestyle," she said quietly, her voice husky and eyes glassy as if she were about to cry. However, she was able to pull herself together despite the fact that she seemed deeply affected by all that he had just shared with her.

Edward was concerned that the heaviness of his past was putting a damper on their evening, so he tried to lighten the mood a bit and flashed her a brilliant smile.

"Um, yeah. Quite a saga for a family that began as pillars of the community, huh?" he asked ruefully.

"Yeah," she agreed readily, with a wan smile in return.

He took her hand in his across the table, searching her conflicted brown eyes. With all the courage he could muster, he said, "Bella, I would totally understand if all _this_ sent you running in the other direction."

He had given her an option, but he was holding his breath that she wouldn't take him up on it. With this conversation he had effectively told her all of the things he had never been able to share with any other woman in his life. He felt so naked and exposed. He waited for her to tell him that he was too fucked up for her and that she would be choosing James, because he was already dealing effectively with his demons.

"Quite the contrary," she answered sincerely, reaching across the table to grasp his hand. "If anything, it makes me feel closer to you. I am honored that you would share such painful memories with me. Thank you for taking me into your confidence."

~888~

**BPOV **

They left the restaurant and stopped by Edward's apartment so he could pick up some more things to bring to his mother's later. On the drive over, Bella thought about all the things he'd told her about his life. All of his close relationships had been taken from him in some way. His family life had been shredded by a bitter divorce, a tyrannical step-father had denied him a close nurturing relationship with his mother, his first best friend had been left behind when he moved back to Indiana, his father had been a shallow womanizer who hadn't supported him in his greatest hour of need, and his best friend in the Corps had been killed by enemy fire. She might have been out of her depth experientially, but emotionally, she was determined to convince him that he had worth that far surpassed his troubled past.

Having never been to his place before, Bella was curious, so when he invited her to go upstairs with him to retrieve his stuff, she jumped at the opportunity. Bella sat in Edward's living room listening to Kenny Chesney, which was the CD currently in his stereo system, and because they wouldn't be there long, she was happy with that choice. He'd offered to change it to something else, but she insisted it was fine.

Edward was quite the minimalist and regimentally tidy, perhaps as a result of his stint as a marine, or maybe he was just wired that way. Bella was pleased at the way he kept his home. She admired guys who were tidy. The sofa and recliner were brown leather with a couple of matching leather and fabric pillows. On his coffee table were the books _The Road_ by Cormac McCarthy and _Pygmy_ by Chuck Palahniuk. She loved these two writers. There were a couple of art deco lamps on the end tables, two pieces of abstract art on the walls, and a curio that had various trophies and awards he had received over the years. His ISU Diploma, honorable discharge certificate from the Marines, and certificates from his police officers' training school in Terre Haute and Tallahassee were on the wall opposite the curio. Bella walked over to the diploma and read his full name. _Edward Anthony Cullen._ She smiled.

They had talked about so many things the past couple of weeks, but it had never occurred to her to ask him if he had a middle name. She moved to get a closer look at some photos he had in the curio. One was a picture of himself at approximately the age of thirteen with another boy who could only be Emmett. They were dressed in soccer uniforms, grinning broadly with their arms thrown around one another's shoulders. There was a picture also of him and Alice at what might have been a recital. Alice was in a tutu and he was in a suit. He looked to be about nine years old, and Alice was maybe six.

There was a photo of himself and his parents, in what was probably the final photo they had taken together as a family. Edward looked very much like Edward, Sr., except his father had dark blond hair and blue eyes. Edward, of course, got his amazing hair color and eyes from his mother. Elizabeth Cullen had been and still was a beautiful woman. She assumed the final two pictures had to be of Paul. One was of him in his dress uniform. He had very strong Native American features and had been a very handsome, onyx-haired young man. The other photo was one of Edward and Paul together, relaxed and wearing only military green wifebeaters and camouflage pants, in what looked to be a bar. They were sitting on bar stools and touching their beer bottles together. Seeing Edward with a high and tight haircut was weird considering how wild, long, and unbelievably sexy his hair was now. She couldn't help but smile.

Edward came back into the room carrying a small camouflaged bag, and he had changed. He was now wearing a coral-colored linen short-sleeved shirt, with a couple of buttons loose at the top where a hint of dark bronze chest hair peeked out, and a pair of blue jean shorts that reached the top of his knees. Brown leather sandals completed his ensemble.

"So, Edward Anthony Cullen," she teased. "Did your family and friends call you Eddie or Tony when you were younger?"

"Nope," he quipped back, popping the "p" for emphasis.

He set the bag on the recliner and walked slowly over to where she was standing in front of the curio.

"Maybe _I _should call you Tony," she said, stifling a giggle.

When he was within touching distance, his hands went to her waist and he pulled her to him playfully.

"Do so at your own risk," he warned. She opened her eyes wide in mock terror, making an "o" with her lips.

"Or what?" she challenged.

"I'll just have to kiss you until you're breathless again," he said huskily.

She knew she was treading on dangerous ground, but she wanted to provoke him to kiss her.

"Ton—," she began, and just as she'd hoped, he covered her mouth with his before she could utter the nickname completely. He wound his arms around her and pulled her flush against his body, until there was no space between them. She was anxious to be as close to him as she could. When his tongue brushed against hers it was as if an electric shocked passed through them. She could feel both his desire and hers coursing through their veins in tandem, throbbing in unison. Bella felt herself beginning to fall, as if she were standing on the edge of a precipice. Edward made her feel like she had in gymnastics when she had lost her center of gravity at thirteen. She had been unable to do her routine on the uneven bars for months, until she had finally been able to adjust to the changes in her body and relocate her geometric center. They mutually explored each other's mouths with their tongues, as if searching together for that elusive balance.

She was grateful when he ended the kiss, but wouldn't let go of him for fear that she would sink limply to the floor like the quivering mass of desire that she was. The attraction she had for this man was more powerful than anything she had ever experienced before, and it was frightening on so many levels. Could she resist him? Was he inclined to honor her commitment to purity? Was this attraction going to consume them?

"Still want to call me Tony?" he smirked, his smoldering green eyes roaming over her face as if committing every facet of her features to memory.

She shook her head vigorously, afraid that her words would come out shaky and unintelligible. Once her legs felt capable of movement, she took a tentative step back. His hands on her arms steadied her until she moved out of his reach, and then he dropped them to his sides. Bella wrapped her own arms around herself, as if to contain the desire she knew he probably felt emanating from her.

"Do you have a middle name?" he asked, smiling. "I think it would only be fair for me to know yours, since you now know mine."

"Marie," she answered. She averted her eyes, believing that he could read what was there.

Edward chuckled softly, and she smiled and looked back up at him.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"You made fun of my middle name, and you have a Spanish/Italian first name and a French middle name," he said mischievously. "Looks like someone was confused."

Bella giggled and threatened, "I am so telling my parents you said that. They will be at the concert, you know."

"You wouldn't."

"Watch me."

He took a menacing step toward her, and she darted away from him, putting the sofa between them. They danced around the sofa, with him attempting to dart around to where she was, but she kept successfully evading him. She mistakenly believed she was safe from his reach. He feigned one direction, but then changed course and lunged at her, reaching across the back of the sofa and pulling her over and on top of him. Bella screeched and struggled to get away, but he held her firmly around the waist facing him as he lay on the sofa on his back. They giggled like idiots, even through the chaste kiss she laid on his gorgeous lips.

When their amusement subsided, Bella drew in a ragged breath, the air between them becoming thick with tension as she became acutely aware of his body pressing against hers. Edward's eyes darkened, and he threaded his fingers into her hair, lifting his head until his lips met hers in another smoldering kiss. His mouth moved against hers, drawing her deeper and deeper until the kiss became so electrically charged that she pulled away roughly. Trembling, she rolled off of him, hoping that her shaking legs would hold as she stood. She hoped that he wouldn't notice the ever present fear she felt as a result of their overwhelming chemistry shining in her eyes.

Edward was off the sofa in a shot and was standing behind her. He gently turned her around to face him.

Bella attempted a smile, but her lips involuntarily turned down into a frown.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he inquired immediately.

She moved to turn away again, but he brought his hand to her chin, nudging her face up to look at him. "Am I coming on too strong? I really don't mean to make you feel like I'm pushing you to do anything you're not comfortable with."

Bella smiled in spite of herself. She was tempted to quickly deny that there was anything bothering her, but he had been brutally honest with her. The least she could do was afford him the same courtesy.

She reached out and took both his hands in hers. "I think it's my turn to make sure we both have a clear understanding of what we're getting into... from my perspective."

His green eyes did not waver from hers. "Okay," he said anxiously. "Are you ready to have that talk now?"

"Yes. I think we should," she said soberly. "I just need to know what you would expect of me if we were to be together and James was out of the picture."

"Bella, I came into this with my eyes wide open. You told me about your commitment, and I respect that. I don't want to do anything that will make you regret being with me like this."

His words were comforting, and in them he had answered one of the burning questions she had about moving forward with him in a relationship. Despite his womanizing past and his struggles with commitment, she was surprised to find that she trusted that he would be true to his word. His willingness to honor her faith commitments was huge, and she appreciated how candid he was with her about it. But she wasn't so sure, based on the mad chemistry they had, if she could rein _herself_ in. That was now the burning question. Who was she kidding? Definitely, not herself. _Edward was her heart's choice._ When had she come to this conclusion? Apparently, it had begun earlier in the week as the incident at COGS was unfolding and she had feared for his safety. She realized now that she never wanted to be without him. She wanted to tell him everything, but should she bare her soul to him, here and now?

After a steadying breath, she looked him in the eyes and said, "You have been with other women intimately, and my experience in that area is like a handful of hot makeout sessions. I am terrified that I will disappoint you in some way, or more likely disappoint myself. This chemistry between us is insane."

He moved closer still and pulled her gently into his arms. "Don't be afraid," he implored. "I promise not to push you, Bella." He broke the brief embrace and gently held her by her upper arms as he looked deep into her eyes. "I really don't want to mess things up with you. I respect you too much for that."

Bella could see the sincerity in his eyes. Somehow, what she had never dared believe was very true. He was willing to be with her on her terms. It was such a relief to hear for her, because this hurdle had been a big one for them to overcome. She knew it could not be easy for him, yet he would resist his basest urges and needs just to be with her.

"Are you sure? You know, you would be practically… celibate… for me?"

"Bella, I would give up life itself for you," he said, without hesitation, and Bella was undone by his words.

This time, she could not hold back the tears. Edward cupped her cheeks with his hands and wiped the tears away with the pads of his thumbs. _God, why do I__have to be such a baby right now?_ It kind of pissed her off that she was being one of _those_ girls. She buried her face in his chest because she didn't want him to see the mess that must be her face at that moment. He wrapped his arms around her, rocking her gently in his arms and caressing her hair. It was by far one of the sweetest and most tender gestures she had ever received from a man.

"Shh," he said softly. "I'm here, unless you decide you don't want me around anymore."

Bella clung to him as she willed herself not to cry anymore. She was mortified that she'd allowed him to see just how emotional she'd become over the sacrifice he was willing to make for her. She was happy, thrilled even, yet the mere weight of that revelation didn't bode well for James. He was great, but he didn't move her the way Edward did and their chemistry together was almost non-existent. She had finally admitted to herself that Edward was her heart's choice, and even if he hadn't been, it wasn't fair to string James along when she knew there was no spark between them.

Now her immediate dilemma became breaking the news to James that she'd chosen Edward. She got a knot in her stomach just thinking about telling him. Should she talk to him before or after she told Edward? As she looked up into the emerald green eyes that were regarding her with such adoration, she didn't want to wait another moment to tell him that she'd chosen to be with him. But she also felt like she owed it to James to break things off with him first before she could move forward into a new relationship with Edward. With that in mind, she decided that she would talk to James tomorrow and then tell Edward about her decision at the concert. It would be the perfect ending to a very special evening.

She tilted her head back so she could look at him. "Both you and James have been so kind and understanding during this whole situation. I won't let another week go by without making a final decision. I can't ping-pong between the two of you anymore."

Edward pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she knew in her heart that, no matter what happened with James, she had chosen the right man.

~888~

James agreed to meet Bella for lunch on Friday at noon at the Red Elephant on Thomasville Road. Bella was seated in a booth for ten minutes before he arrived and had used that time to talk herself into believing that she could do this without breaking his heart. James had become quickly attached to her, and she felt wretched about telling him she had made her choice and it wasn't him. She knew he would not be happy about it, but she told herself it was better to do this sooner rather than later, when he might have been totally vested in her.

When she saw him enter the restaurant, she smiled and waved to him from the booth, and he quickly maneuvered through the restaurant to join her. He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek and then slid in across from her with a wide smile.

"Hey you," he said teasingly. "This is a welcome surprise. I figured you guys would be so busy with preparation for the concert tomorrow, I wouldn't see you again until Sunday."

Bella smiled back as genuinely as she could. "It helps being the boss, I guess. We're in good shape, though. Alice has everything planned down to the finest detail."

The waitress approached, and they ordered their drinks. Suddenly, Bella's appetite was gone, so she was glad the drink order had been taken first. She wasn't sure James would want to dine with her at all once she had her say, so she decided to dive in.

"Are your parents getting settled in?" she asked. So much had gone on that week, she had almost forgotten that they were moving over the weekend.

"Yeah, the moving van arrived last night, and my parents drove in this morning. I offered to help with the heavy lifting, but they opted for the deluxe moving package, so all they have left to do is the unpacking."

"That's the way to go," she agreed, smiling nervously. She rolled the silverware out of the napkin and took great pains to get the napkin just so in her lap. She was avoiding the inevitable and she knew it, but her thoughts and the words she wanted to say were seriously eluding her at the moment.

"I'll go by after work and see if they need any help. You should come with me to welcome them to town," he offered.

"I can't," she said apologetically. "We will be knee-deep in decorating the Center tonight."

"How about Sunday afternoon? I can pick you up after church, and we can head over there."

"We'll see," she said noncommittally. She figured she'd better go ahead and just tell him and stop dragging it out.

"James…" she began tentatively, "we really are kindred spirits in a lot of ways. You came into my life at a time when I was questioning whether there was something wrong with me, or if there would ever be someone for me. I will always be grateful to you for that."

"Yeah," he said, taking her hand across the table. "I can see that. We have similar backgrounds, we have a lot in common, and we want the same things for our futures. Anyone who makes you doubt yourself, or makes you feel like you don't quite cut it, doesn't deserve you."

She shook her head. "I'm not dwelling on the way I was feeling before you came into my life, because that was a total misunderstanding. Edward never meant to make me feel that way… but that's neither here nor there. I really just want to tell you that I have made my decision, James."

Something in her look or the way she said his name must have tipped him off, because his countenance fell visibly before she could utter her next words.

"You've chosen Cullen, haven't you?" he asked softly. His face was first a mask of pain, but then it became hard and devoid of emotion.

"Yes," Bella said simply, but her heart was aching because she knew he was so terribly disappointed. "But you didn't do anything to make or break that decision. You are everything in a man I ever thought I wanted. I know that probably nothing I can say right now can convince you of just how very difficult this decision has been, but I couldn't just keep stringing you both along. My destiny lies with another, and this week just seemed to underscore that."

"Bella, you know that a relationship with someone who doesn't share your beliefs is like a death sentence. It cannot end well for you. I don't know what hurts more, your rejection of me or your willingness to invite the kind of trouble you will surely have with a man like that," he spat.

Bella was peeved that he would discount her decision like it was a personal affront to him. "I thought we could act like the adults we are about this, James. Edward's faith or lack thereof is not any of your concern. And you talk about things ending before they've even begun. You don't know what I know about him, and you definitely don't see what I see in him."

"Oh, good for you!" he said, raising his voice just a decibel higher. "I hope your vision is 20/20 and he is everything you believe he is, because I'm not going to be around to pick up the pieces when he disappoints you."

"What happened to us being friends no matter what," Bella said hotly, her temper rising. "Or were those just nice words that you didn't really mean? I thought you of all people would respect my decision, even if you don't agree with it."

He blanched as if he'd been stung, then closed his eyes briefly, like he was mentally gathering himself. He tried again. "You're right. I am being such a jerk. Bella, please forgive me. I think your warning about guarding my heart came just a little too late."

"I am so sorry," she said, huskily. Her throat was constricting, and she felt tears prick her eyes. James was so good, and she despised herself for having to hurt him this way. "I never meant for this to turn into a three-ring circus, and I never meant to hurt you. I care about you deeply because you so completely fulfill my list of must-haves in a man. Edward just surpasses that in more ways than I could ever have imagined any man would, and I can't deny it. If I were to do so, I would be lying to myself and to you."

"I couldn't ask you to go against your heart. Self-preservation is always our first reaction when we feel threatened, isn't it? I am sorry."

The waitress approached the table with their drinks and after placing them on the table, looked expectantly to them for their orders. Bella looked up at her with a small smile.

"Can we have a few more minutes, please?"

"Sure," the waitress said and loped off to the next table to check on her other customers.

"I'll understand if you don't really want to have lunch now," Bella said, returning her gaze to James. "I'm not very hungry myself anymore."

"I meant it when I said I wanted us to emerge from this as friends," he replied, his blue eyes filled with pain. "I may not have displayed those feelings initially today, but that is what I want. Just give me little time to lick my wounds, okay?"

"Okay," Bella agreed, taking the first deep breath she had been able to take since he'd arrived at the restaurant. "But promise me, you'll call me when you need a guest soloist at Reformed Baptist?"

He smiled, but it only halfway lit his eyes. "You'll be my first guest," he promised.

~888~

**A/N:** **Ok, so I know I didn't get the concert in this chapter. When I wrote out everything it was like 14K words, so I couldn't make chapter 13 that long. Chapter 14 will contain the concert, and it is coming in a day or so. At this posting it was getting a final beta once-over. Please be patient, I promise you will not be disappointed. xoxoxo**

**Zydeco music** (_French: "les haricots" or "le zaricot", English: "green beans" or "snap beans')_ is a form of American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of Louisiana Creole music. The rural black Creoles of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas still sing in Creole French. Usually fast tempo and dominated by the button or piano accordion and a form of a washboard known as a "rub-board," "scrub-board," or _frottoir_, zydeco music was originally created at house dances, where families and friends gathered for socializing.

_**The Waterboy**_ is a 1998 American comedy film directed by Frank Coraci. It stars Adam Sandler alongside Henry Winkler, Kathy Bates, Jerry Reed, and Fairuza Balk. Adam Sandler plays Bobby Boucher (pronounced _"Boo-SHAY"_), a socially inept (but also intelligent), stuttering, water boy with hidden anger issues due to constant teasing and his mother's (Kathy Bates) excessive sheltering

The _**center of gravity**_is the theoretical point where all the body weight is concentrated or the theoretical point about which the body weight is evenly distributed. If a body is of uniform density and has a symmetrical shape the center of gravity is in the geometric center. If the object is not symmetrical and does not have uniform density, it is more difficult to describe the location of its center of gravity. Because the human body is not symmetrical and is of non-uniform density, the center of gravity is difficult to locate. In fact, the body's center of gravity shifts with each body movement. When the distribution of a person's body weight changes, the center of gravity shifts toward the greater weight concentration.

**Church of the Greater Son** - Does not exist. It is just a name I came up with for the cult depicted in the story. The major deal that makes COGS a cult is Aro's controlling nature, his greed, and his penchant for adding language to the Bible. This is a big "no no" in the Christian Church. Generally cult leaders will control their members through something whether it is money, sex, or false and misleading doctrine that does not uphold the belief in the trinity.


	15. Ch 14 TLC: You And Me

**A/N:****Thanks to SSHG316, Charmie77 and acireamos for beta'ing TLC. I am indebted to them each for their various gifts that makes TLC look like it's written by a professional. I love my betas!**

**Story Recommendations: "Purest Of Pain" by stolenxsanity, "Every October" by MissAlex and Larin20, and "Crime Scene Denials and Forensic Angels" by BQOTFU. **

**Each of these are very different, and are all works in progress. If you like angst, and hurt/comfort fics, you'll love Purest of Pain and stolenxsanity is a brilliant writer. Every October is an AU fic that explores a Prophecy that Edward is given about Bella when she is born. He visits her every October until she grows to be of an age when the prophecy can be fulfilled. I've also read Rebel Without A Cause, which is an equally exceptional AH story by Miss Alex with the Twi characters as Old Hollywood actors. Miss Alex's writing is beautiful. Now if CSI is your thing, you'll love Crime Scene Denials and Forensic Angels. BQOTFU is a tremendous writer and I can't wait to see how CSD&FA unfolds.**

**Please give these authors some love and let them know that I sent you there in your reviews. Thanks!**

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**YOU AND ME**

**by****Lifehouse**

**what day is it  
and in what month  
this clock never seemed so alive  
I can't keep up  
and I can't back down  
I've been losing so much time**

**cause it's you and me and all of the people  
with nothing to do  
nothing to lose  
and it's you and me and all of the people  
and I don't know why  
I can't keep my eyes off of you**

**all of the things that I want to say  
just aren't coming out right  
I'm tripping inwards  
you got my head spinning  
I don't know where to go from here**

****

there's something about you now  
I can't quite figure out  
everything she does is beautiful  
everything she does is right

**you and me and all of the people  
with nothing to do  
nothing to lose  
and it's you and me and all of the people  
and I don't know why  
I can't keep my eyes off of you  
**

_**"The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good."**_

**-- ****Proverbs:15:3 NIV**

**Chapter 14 - You And Me**

The rest of Friday was spent preparing for the concert in earnest. Bella was happy for the distraction. Breaking the news to James had been gut-wrenching. She couldn't help but feel guilty that despite all her good intentions of not hurting him, he had been severely stung by her decision. Every time she closed her eyes she saw the anger and hurt on his face. She wanted to be excited about moving forward with Edward, but she couldn't bring herself to be as jubilant as she might have been had she not been forced to hurt someone else in order to secure her happiness. She had been so worried the night before about James and his frame of mind, she'd called Jasper and asked him to keep an eye on him over the next few days to make sure he wasn't in danger of relapsing. Not that she flattered herself that he might relapse over her, he had other stressors in his life that could send him over the edge: a new home, adjusting to life in a new city, a new and very demanding job. Bella prayed that James would be fine, because she didn't think she could take it if her decision adversely affected his life in any way, besides a brief period of heartache.

After the children were dismissed, all the volunteers stayed to finish the decorating. Alice's vision had come to life, and it was extraordinary. The common room was transformed into an auditorium that rivaled the look of a pre-twenty first century, miniature Carnegie Hall. The walls and windows were covered in navy velveteen draperies. The risers were also skirted in navy velveteen, and of course the rented chairs were a navy print. The cinderblock walls were decorated with lighted battery-powered sconces between each of the windows. This lighting was perfect when the lights in the main room were off. The piano was set on a raised platform which served as a makeshift stage and was skirted as well in blue velveteen. Alice had even found two glass chandelier replicas, and the male volunteers had mounted them both in the ceiling. There were fresh floral arrangements placed strategically throughout the room, which gave it a very intimate ambiance.

Bella couldn't help it. She looked at Alice and grinned, "Alice, this is beyond anything I could have imagined. This is going to be a great event, thanks to your amazing vision."

Alice smiled widely in return. "Thanks, boss. You knew I would make it special for you."

"So what are you wearing to this soiree?" Bella inquired.

"Don't you worry about me. The more important question is what are you wearing? You know you've got to look fabulous, Bella. You are the Mistress of Ceremonies, and you'll be introducing Edward."

"Um, when did I get assigned that job?"

"When you became Director of the Center is when. So, answer me. What are you wearing?"

Bella shrugged. "I've got a couple of dresses to choose from."

"These are not old bridesmaid dresses are they?"

"Maybe," Bella said noncommittally.

"That just won't do," Alice said, tutting in disgust.

"Why? They are perfectly good dresses," Bella protested.

"In my opinion, perfectly good won't cut it for this event. You will be the center of attention when you're on that stage—you need to be stunning."

Bella wondered if she should be offended. "What does that mean, Alice? I think I look good in everything I wear."

"Trust me, you want to look good tomorrow night. Edward is going to be in a tuxedo, for goodness sake."

"But this isn't some date we're going to be on."

"Exactly. The Center patrons and some city officials will be here. You've got to look your best."

As much as Bella hated to do so, she had to agree with Alice. She did need to look her best for the event. If for nothing else, she wanted to look fabulous on the night she would be telling Edward of her decision. This would necessitate a quick shopping spree on Saturday morning after she picked up Angela and Ben.

"Alice, listen carefully. I am going to pick up Angela and Ben at the airport at 9:30 in the morning. I will meet you at the Governor's Square Mall at 10:30. We will have one hour to find a dress and all the accessories. Am I clear?"

Alice squealed. "Yes! Oh, Bella, you won't be sorry. I'm a great speed-shopper, really. We'll be done in under an hour, because you know we have the Scavenger Hunt at 2:00."

Bella rolled her eyes and followed an ecstatic Alice into her office to find and set the last of the decorations in place.

~888~

Bella set her alarm for 7:30 Saturday morning so she could get up and do some extra grooming in preparation for her day. She decided to do a facial, a manicure, and a pedicure in addition to the usual shower and shaving of legs. After her home spa session, she headed out to the airport to retrieve her sister and her boyfriend. Angela and Ben were excited to see her, and they told her all about their trip while driving to Ben's apartment. Once Ben was out of the car, Angela began with her barrage of questions.

"So Bella, do we have a decision, yet?"

"Um, yeah," Bella said quickly. "It's Edward, but I haven't told him yet. I'm going to do it tonight at the concert. I told James last night. I felt like I needed to tell him first."

"I knew a week ago it would be Edward," Angela said, grinning. "How did the revelation go with James?"

"He was shocked, upset, hurt…" Bella replayed their conversation from the day before to Angela.

"Is he coming to the concert?" Angela asked.

"Who?" Bella asked absentmindedly as her fingers drummed against the steering wheel.

"Earth to Bella." Angela snapped her fingers as if to draw her out of a stupor. "James, that's who."

"No, he asked for time to lick his wounds before we have any more social interaction."

"Good idea. You don't want that kind of tension tonight. Edward has to be there, that's a given, but I don't know if you would want a newly dumped James there at the same time."

"Yeah, talk about awkward," Bella said, cringing at the thought.

"So, what are you doing this morning?" Angela asked.

"Going on a one hour shopping spree with Alice. I gotta get a gown for the concert tonight." Bella shook her head in resignation.

"Can I tag along? I know, I should have jet lag or something, but I'm extremely wired right now."

"Sure, sis," Bella said. "The more the merrier."

They found the perfect parking space at the mall, near the upstairs entrance closest to the food court. Bella had to have a latte if she was going to have to put up with Alice and her clothing antics, so they ran through the food court first. After polishing off her latte, she and Ange met Alice at the main entrance to Macy's.

They sped like a whirlwind through Macy's, visiting the ladies formal wear department first. After a couple of hits and misses, Bella was uncharacteristically drawn to a BCBG Max Azria gown. It was a green, sleeveless gown with an empire waist that accentuated her décolletage. The draped fabric in the back made it look like something a goddess might wear. She turned in front of the dressing room mirror, smiling as she saw her reflection, more than pleased with her appearance. Now to pass the Alice and Angela test. When she came out to show the girls, she got two very enthusiastic thumbs up. She smiled to herself as she paid for the dress; she had become particularly fond of the color green, of late. The next stop was accessories. At Banana Republic, Bella found a very nice set of drop earrings with a matching floral statement necklace and ring in a lighter green. She was sure she already had shoes and a clutch that would complete the accessorizing of her gown.

Bella dropped Angela off at her place and spent an hour in the afternoon driving three teenaged girls around in her car for Alice and Jasper's Scavenger hunt. When she got back to her apartment, she set her alarm and passed out soundly in her bed, where she had the most restful, dreamless sleep she'd had in a long time.

~888~

**EPOV**

When Edward entered the Center, he was amazed by the transformation of the common area that greeted him. It actually looked like a recital hall. Alice had done a magnificent job of making her creative vision come to life. The Center was bathed in navy and coordinated down to the very last detail. Volunteers were busy setting up tables in the back of the room with punch and hors-d'oeuvres to serve their guests after the concert. He was dressed and, for all intents and purposes, ready to go, but he wouldn't really be ready to set foot on that stage to play until he saw Bella. He greeted the volunteers from across the room and made his way behind the makeshift stage to Bella's office door. He heard her before he could see her, laughing with someone in the room. He knocked on the half-closed door.

"Come in," Bella's voice rang out. As he entered the office, he saw Alice and Bella standing behind the desk with their backs to him. Alice looked to be putting the finishing touches on Bella's hair, pinning loose tendrils into an elegant chignon. They both turned their heads to see who had entered.

Edward saw Alice first, but his eyes didn't linger on his cousin. His eyes latched onto Bella, and his heart rate began doing double-time. He saw her beautiful smile first as she turned her head and saw it was him entering the room. Then his eyes traveled down the length of the back of her beautiful form. She was wearing a green sleeveless gown that accentuated her sexy toned arms. The material hung down in back almost to her waist, exposing the light caramel skin of her back. And although not form-fitting, the dress softly flowed over her delicious curves in an extremely flattering way. He groaned inwardly and began humming "Taps" in his head as he came to a stop in front of the desk.

"Ladies," he said in greeting.

"Hey cuz," Alice chirped.

"Edward," Bella said, smiling happily as she tried to turn around to face him. Alice, however, gripped her by the shoulders and wouldn't allow her to turn just yet.

Edward chuckled. "Alice, what form of torture are you subjecting Bella to now?"

"I'm making her beautiful for you and all our guests," she replied. Then turning back to Bella, she said, "Don't blame me if this hairpin draws blood. Didn't your mama teach you not to squirm when someone's pinning your hair up?" Alice secured the last pin. "There. You can ogle my cousin in his Tux now."

Bella turned to face him, and as she did so, he gasped audibly. If he thought the back of the dress with Bella in it was beautiful, he had not been ready for the front. She looked like a goddess straight from the clouds of Mt. Olympus. The green gown had a neckline that showed her form off to perfection. She was exquisite, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. Neither could she take her eyes off him.

"You look great," she said, sweeping her eyes over his form. Her dark lashes were fanned out and accentuated her already gorgeous, expressive eyes. Tendrils of her mahogany hair framed her beautiful, heart-shaped face.

"And you are gorgeous," he said, grinning wider than he probably had ever grinned in his life. Bella wowed him frequently, but tonight, she owned his excited ass.

"Are you nervous?" she asked, taking his left hand in hers. He immediately enclosed her hand in both of his.

"No," he answered honestly. "Now that I've seen you, I'm fine."

"Pssh," Alice said, as she regarded them from where she stood. "You two are pathetic."

"Alice," Bella scolded. "I have listened to your 'sweet nothings' and watched you and Jasper maul each other for more than a year. Shut it."

Alice made an elaborate show of pressing her lips closed and skulking sheepishly from the room, closing the door behind her.

Edward held both her hands and took another long look at her.

"You are so beautiful, I don't think I want to share you with anyone else tonight," he said. She smiled coyly and lowered her eyelashes.

"Thank you," she said softly. "But, if you don't share me, the Center patrons might not be as generous as we hope they'll be after this shindig."

"Oh yeah, that. I guess I'll have to wait until after this shindig to be selfish, then."

Edward gathered her into his arms and held her slender form against him. Her arms snaked around his waist, past the pretentious cummerbund he was wearing. He didn't trust himself with anything other than a hug and was sure she didn't want to muss her makeup. He'd have to settle for holding her for a while—definitely not a hardship. Far too soon, there was a staccato knocking on the door, and they stepped out of their embrace.

"Come in," Bella said, once they had collected themselves.

The door opened and in strolled Charlie and Renee Swan. "Alice said you were back here giving Mr. Debussy a pep talk," Charlie joked.

Bella cleared her throat and smiled. "Dad. Mom," she said, walking over to greet them. She hugged her dad, and as she was embracing her mother, Charlie Swan strode purposely over to Edward and extended his hand.

"You must be Officer Cullen," Charlie said, giving Edward a decidedly firm hand shake.

"Yes, sir. Edward, please," Edward replied, giving Charlie's hand a firm shake in return.

"I'm Charlie," he said, as Bella and Renee joined their little circle. "And this is my bride, Renee." Charlie beamed as he introduced his wife just as he might have years ago when they were first married. Edward smiled and extended his hand to Renee as she stepped toward him.

"Nice to finally meet you, Edward," Renee said, her hazel eyes dancing as though they held many secrets. "Bella has sung nothing but your praises since you've taken over as liaison."

"Which reminds me," Charlie said. "I owe you a huge debt of gratitude for taking such excellent care of Bella, the Center, and the community. They finally got somebody over here who takes this job seriously."

"No need to thank me for something that has been my extreme pleasure," Edward said graciously.

"Well, we were glad you were here when that little dust-up happened a few weeks ago. I hope the new male volunteers have been helpful in keeping things in order around here," Charlie said almost indignantly.

"They have, Dad," Bella assured him, blushing profusely. It was clear she was uncomfortable with her dad going on about an incident she probably wanted to forget. Edward remembered that had been the second time he'd had to apologize to her for his behavior. He really didn't want to remember that either. He was thankful when Renee smoothly changed the subject.

"Edward," Renee began, "how's your mother? I saw the news reports earlier this week and called Esme. She explained to us what happened."

"Mom is doing well," he said. "As a matter of fact, she'll be here tonight with Carlisle and Esme. She was growing tired of being housebound."

"This should be a welcome respite for her then. I'm sure she's going to enjoy hearing you play tonight," Renee said, smiling.

Charlie took his wife's hand. "We'll go on and take our seats, then." He maneuvered them towards the door. Bella grabbed a program off her desk and pressed it into her father's loose hand.

"You're up first, Reverend—Invocation."

Charlie scowled. "And I thought I wasn't working tonight."

Renee rolled her eyes heavenward. "As if he would allow anyone else to do this as long as he's here." Renee gave them a little wave and pulled a mildly protesting Charlie out the door.

Edward liked Bella's parents. They were a portrait of how he'd wished his parents had been. He smiled at the beautiful product that Charlie and Renee Swan had created and pushed thoughts of his dysfunctional family out of his mind.

She returned his smile. "Hope they didn't make you uncomfortable," she said apologetically.

"No, not at all," he said. "Your parents are great. Just like I imagined them."

"I think you'll find you have a lot in common with my dad," she said. "He was a police chief before he was called into ministry. He's also a little over-protective and gruff sometimes."

"I'm sure we're only that way because our women bring out those qualities in us," he said with a smirk.

"'Our women?'" Bella inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Edward hastened to correct himself. "Freudian slip," he said with a grin.

Bella came over and slipped her arm through his. "Come on, Monsieur Debussy, we've got some guests to greet."

~888~

**BPOV**

"Mesdames et Messieurs, soyez bienvenus à notre concert de piano classique premier présentant la musique de M. Claude Debussy exécuté par M. Edward Anthony Cullen," Bella began in flawless French.

She smiled and continued, "The Center has been transformed so authentically by our resident designer, Mrs. Alice Whitlock, and the volunteers of the City of Hope Afterschool Program, I couldn't help myself." She searched with her eyes and found Alice and Jasper in the second row, seated behind Carlisle, Esme, and Elizabeth. Alice looked like she was about to burst with pride.

"Let me begin again." Bella clasped her hands in front of herself like a proper lady. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our first ever classical piano concert, featuring the music of Mr. Claude Debussy, performed by Mr. Edward Anthony Cullen." Bella clapped, and the audience followed her lead, applauding enthusiastically as Edward stepped purposefully onto the stage and took a bow. He looked so handsome in his tuxedo. Mr. Gavalos had done such an excellent job that it looked more tailor made than fitted. The starkness of his pale skin and white shirt against the deep black of the tuxedo, topped off by his gorgeous bronze hair, was breathtaking to behold. He walked over to her and kissed her on both cheeks. She was only able to control her blush because he had warned her that he would do this.

"French men!" she exclaimed theatrically.

Some of the children from the Center giggled and tittered as they saw their Center Director being kissed by Officer Cullen. The adults in the audience laughed and clapped. Edward moved to the piano bench, but didn't sit. He looked on, smiling as Bella continued.

"This event is a result of the City of Hope being blessed with a very gifted pianist who came to us, not as a musician, but as the Tallahassee Police Department's liaison for the Center and this community. As many of you are aware, our program at City of Hope tutors the children of this community daily in reading, writing, and arithmetic. However, we also infuse classical music and literature into their curricula. Studies have shown that if you raise expectations, children will meet that challenge. I am proud to say that our children at City of Hope have seen tremendous gains in their FCAT scores and their grades in each of their respective grade levels. Most are performing above grade level now. This is an achievement we can all be proud of." The audience clapped and cheered.

Charlie and Carlisle stood and led the audience in a standing ovation. Bella heard a loud whistle from someone in the audience and was surprised to see it was Rosalie, who was in the third row behind Alice and Jasper. Emmett was looking at her smugly, as if to say, "That's my girl."

Bella waited for the applause to die down and then continued. "In honor of the children of City of Hope, we now present to you, 'An Evening With Mr. Debussy.'" Bella extended her arm toward Edward, turning the evening over to him. He bowed again, held her hand as she descended the steps at the end of the stage, and then took his seat at the piano bench.

Bella sat beside her mom and dad as Edward began his first piece. Renee squeezed Bella's hand and smiled. She returned her mother's smile and turned her attention back to listen. Edward began with _Suite bergamasque, _which included_ Prelude, Menuet, Clair de lune, _and _Passepied. _These pieces were followed by_ Nocturne, Danse bohemienne, Reverie,_ and _Mazurka. _After he played _Deux_ _Arabesques No. 1: Andantino con moto and No. 2: Allegretto scherzando, _there was a fifteen minute Intermission.

Alice and some of the volunteers served the guests punch, while a few of the children who had volunteered to usher for the evening were directing other guests to the facilities. Bella greeted Emmett and Rosalie and then waved to Angela and Ben about five rows back, sitting with a couple of her students from the Center. She saw her parents conversing with Carlisle, Esme, and Elizabeth, so she took her leave and joined Edward who was taking his break in her office until the second half of the program was to begin. He had removed his tuxedo jacket and was lounging on the leather bench against the wall. She closed and locked the door and moved toward him, unable to stay away for a moment longer. Drawn like a magnet to metal, she closed the distance between them, insinuating herself inside the V that his long legs made as he sat sprawled on the bench. She touched the left side of his face, cupping his beautiful clean-shaven jawline with her hand. He looked up into her eyes, his hands moving involuntarily to her waist as she stood before him.

"That was exquisite," she said softly. "And I have a confession to make." She placed her other hand on his other cheek and held his face in her hands as she looked down into his smoldering green eyes.

"Thank you. I'm glad you liked it," he drawled. "Confess away."

"I think Mr. Debussy kinda turns me on," she murmured. She fisted her hands in his hair and gently pulled his head to rest against her torso. His hands slid from her waist to caress the exposed skin on her back.

"And I _know_ Mr. Debussy is turned on by this beautiful woman in the green goddess dress who speaks flawless French," he said, his breath tickling the exposed flesh near her cleavage. Bella's legs almost buckled when his warm, cinnamony breath made contact. He looked up into her eyes again, and she decided, makeup be damned. She leaned down, then captured his bottom lip between hers and gently sucked on it. That move must have been just a little too much for him, because he pulled her into his lap, not breaking contact with her mouth. When he had her securely resting across his lap, he parted his lips, and their tongues began a sweet, sensual dance.

Just as Bella began to feel herself melting into his arms, she heard her office doorknob being jiggled, and they both groaned simultaneously. Bella reluctantly hopped off his lap and tidied his mussed up hair. After smoothing her dress, she went to answer the door. Alice and Jasper were standing there, Alice tapping her foot impatiently and Jasper shaking his head and shrugging.

Bella glared at her, but stood aside and allowed them to come in. "Hi Jazz," she said, pointedly ignoring Alice. "Come on in."

Jasper walked over to Edward, who was now standing. They shook hands and did the little shoulder bump thing.

"Some others of us might have needed a little make-out break, too," Alice said, pouting. "Can we join?"

"Ew. And who says that's what we were doing in here?" Bella challenged.

"Your lip gloss is gone, and Edward's wearing some of it," she shot back.

_Busted._

Bella grabbed a tissue off her desk and sauntered over to Edward. She gently wiped the lip gloss she'd smeared on him and then wiped her own mouth clean with the unused corner of the tissue. She held it out like a flag for Alice to see.

"Happy now, Mrs. Grinch-that-killed-the-groove?" Bella asked in mock annoyance.

Edward and Jasper laughed.

"I guess you'll know next time not to be blocking your girl's groove," Jasper teased. Alice grabbed his face, squeezed his cheeks, and kissed the pucker his lips made when she held him like that.

"Whose side are you on, baby?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Always yours, babe," Jasper was quick to agree. He picked his tiny wife up bridal style, carried her to Bella's desk chair, and plopped down, jostling her playfully on his lap. Ignoring Edward and Bella's presence in the room, they devoured each other's mouths like hormonal teenagers.

Leave it to Alice to unwittingly spoil the moment that she wanted to tell Edward of her decision. Bella gawked at them, mouth agape, and then looked at Edward who, smirking, just shrugged his shoulders and reached for her. Alice and Jasper were instantly forgotten, and Bella moved willingly into his arms again.

"We've got only five more minutes before you have to be Mr. Debussy again," she warned.

"And I know what I want to do for three and half of those five minutes," he said as his mouth came down on hers again.

~888~

The second half of the concert resumed, and Edward began with three pieces from The _Children's Corner Suite: I. Dr. Gradus and Parnassum, III. Serenade for the Doll, and VI. Golliwogg's Cake _Walk. This was followed by _Laboite a joujoux: I. Prelude: Le sommeil de la boite, and Tableau 3: Labergerie a vendre and Tableau 4: apres fortune faite - Epilogue._

With the final notes still lingering in the air, Edward stood and addressed the audience. "You have been a wonderful audience, and your reaction to my performance has been nothing less than extraordinary. Thank you for indulging me with your appreciation. You are now in for a real treat. The final three pieces shall be played by Mrs. Elizabeth Masen Cullen, a true concert pianist, who taught me everything I know."

Bella was so proud of him. This was definitely a surprise; he hadn't breathed a word of this to her, or to Alice either. Bella was sure of that when she looked back at Alice, who was weeping silently as Jasper gently rubbed her back.

The audience applauded as Edward descended the stage and walked over to his mother, who was seated on the very end of the front row stage left, next to Esme and Carlisle. Elizabeth took his arm, and he escorted her carefully up the steps and onto the stage. He helped her maneuver onto the piano bench, as her left lower leg and ankle was in a protective boot.

Edward addressed the audience once more. "As Mrs. Cullen plays the _Valse Romantique, _Ms. Swan and I shall demonstrate a proper waltz."

Bella gasped. _No, he did not just put me__on the spot like that._

"Go on, Lovely," her mom whispered anxiously.

But Bella was frozen in her seat. She nervously nibbled on her bottom lip as Edward made his way to where she was seated. He extended his hand to her.

"Mademoiselle Swan, may I have this dance?" he asked in his velvety voice.

Bella could not refuse. She knew that she was blushing every shade of red in the universe at that moment, because this was totally unscripted. Taking his extended hand, she stood and gravitated toward him, hoping her legs weren't shaking, because the rest of her was trembling uncontrollably.

He tucked her arm through his and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Don't be nervous, Bella," he murmured. "Just follow my lead and you'll do great."

Bella felt like she was in a trance as Edward took her into his arms. He nodded once to his mother, and she began to play the _Valse Romantique. _When Edward moved, Bella followed him with a matching ease that was surreal. Edward was an excellent dancer, and she was able to follow him flawlessly. She'd studied dance for years, together with her gymnastics, had waltzed a time or two with her dad and watched "Dancing With The Stars," so she was able to emulate the posture easily enough. Edward held her firmly in his arms as he expertly twirled her around and executed a dip. The audience clapped and cheered. His face was so close to hers that she feared he might kiss her, but he righted her again and they continued the dance. As he led them effortlessly across the stage, she reveled in the warm grasp of his hand and the feel of the muscles in his shoulder as they rippled beneath her fingers. His form was perfect, and Bella felt like she knew what she was doing while moving with him. _Valse Romantique_ was a beautiful piece of music, and by the time their waltz was done, Bella had fallen even more in love with it perhaps than she was with _Claire de lune_. When the piece ended, Edward held her hand as she curtsied, and then he took a final bow.

He leaned in to whisper to her again as they walked across the stage to exit. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"You are a dead man," she warned through clenched teeth and a fake theatrical smile.

He chuckled softly and led her off the stage with her arm firmly tucked into his.

They descended the steps of the stage, the picture of a perfect couple, as the audience burst into applause. Edward escorted Bella back to her seat and took his mother's vacated seat. Elizabeth played the final two pieces: _Toccata_ and _Feux d'artifice_ (Fireworks). She gave a virtuoso performance of the two fast-paced pieces. The audience stood and erupted into a deafening applause as Elizabeth rose to her feet and took a bow. Edward went to aid his mother in her descent from the makeshift stage and back to her seat.

Bella and Charlie ascended the stage to close out the program.

"On behalf of the children of City of Hope, their parents, and the volunteers who work tirelessly to bring this program to the community, we would like to thank all the Center patrons, city officials, and friends for coming out to support our program. We'd also like to thank Officer Edward Cullen and Mrs. Elizabeth Masen Cullen for making such beautiful music for us tonight. Please stay and enjoy the hors-d'oeuvres and punch in the back of the room. Reverend Charlie Swan, the Executive Director of City of Hope will now bring the benediction." Bella stepped back and deferred to Charlie for the prayer. She bowed her head, thankful that the evening had been such a great success.

~888~

**EPOV**

Edward couldn't keep his eyes off Bella as she worked the room, greeting patrons who supported the Center and families of the children by name and charming them with her warm and friendly personality. He was sure he must have come off to some of the people who stopped to speak to him as an aloof, uptight musician, because he couldn't focus on what any of them were saying. He noticed some of the men looked at Bella's cleavage a little too long, or others whose eyes would travel over her form, and each time he had to talk himself out of making a scene at the function. Instead, he would rush to her side, smile, and make a comment or suggestion that would cue her or the other person to move on to greet someone else. Edward left her side only briefly to get punch and hors-d'oeuvres for his mother. When he returned, Bella was cornered by a man who was telling her how glad he was that his daughter was one of her students at the Center, but his eyes were glued to her chest.

Edward strode over to Bella and put his arm around her waist, giving the guy a look that had so much venom in it, he got the message in an instant, tore his eyes from Bella's décolletage, and slipped away.

"Thank you for coming to my rescue," Bella said sweetly. "I so wanted to tell him, 'Look buddy, my eyes are up here.'" She made gestures with her hands as she said the words, looking so adorable, Edward could hardly stand it. He understood the allure she was to other men, but tonight was ridiculous. He took her hand.

"Come on," he said, pulling her gently along with him. "Let me introduce you properly to my mother."

They walked the short distance to where his mother and Esme were seated in the front row, talking softly and drinking punch. They looked at him and Bella as they approached.

"There's my favorite nephew," Esme said, smiling. Edward leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Bella, I was just telling Elizabeth how you turned things around here at the Center in just one year."

Bella blushed, but smiled through it. "Thanks, Esme."

"Mom," Edward said. "I'd like to introduce you to Bella Swan. Bella, this is my mother."

Bella moved closer and extended her hand to his mother. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Cullen. You played beautifully tonight. Thank you so much for contributing your expertise to a spectacular performance."

"The pleasure is all mine, Bella," Elizabeth said, accepting her hand and shaking it rather loosely. "It was nice to play for an audience again. I am really impressed with the work you do here. We should take a meeting together and discuss your five-year plan. Now that I'm no longer involved with COGS, I have energy and resources that need to be diverted to other worthy causes."

Edward shifted uncomfortably and ran his hand through his hair. Why did his mother have to ambush Bella so quickly with her philanthropic gesture? He had worked hard to not make their family's wealth so obvious.

"I'd be happy to," Bella said a bit apprehensively. "However, my father, the Executive Director, might be a better one to take that meeting. He and the Board take care of the business end of things and charitable giving."

"I can get us together with Renee and Charlie anytime, Elizabeth," Esme offered.

That is exactly why he loved his Aunt Esme so fucking much; she was so good at reading people and diffusing sticky situations. Edward thanked Esme with his eyes, and touching Bella's elbow, he planned to effect their get-away.

Elizabeth wasn't very easily dissuaded. "Then at the very least, Edward, we should have Bella out to the house for dinner sometime. I'm interested in hearing about the programmatic aspects of City of Hope and her vision."

Edward didn't appreciate his mother's sudden interest in his work and social life, and he just knew his mother had some ulterior motive for wanting to get together with Bella. He wanted to shield Bella from whatever it was his mother was trying to do. He did not trust that she was fully exorcised of the old COGS dogma that had been her life for eighteen years. Some of her beliefs would certainly be offensive to Bella.

"Mom," Edward said rather sharply. "We'll talk about this another time. Right now, Bella has other guests to greet." And with that, he whisked Bella away, who had opened her mouth to protest but then decided not to speak.

When they were a safe distance away, Bella pounced. "What was that all about, Edward?"

"Nothing," he said, trying to sweep it away.

"_That_," Bella said with emphasis, "was not nothing."

_Damn!_ He'd wanted this to be a shining moment for Bella and the volunteers. Once again, he'd ruined it by allowing his unresolved issues with his mother and her overbearing need to manipulate and control his life to interfere with the triumph that this night should be for Bella. He reminded himself yet again that he had promised to tell her everything.

"Can we talk about this after the guests leave? I promise full disclosure," he said sincerely.

She studied him for a moment. "Okay," she finally agreed. "I'm going to hold you to it, mister."

All of a sudden Edward felt a heavy hand come down on his shoulder, and he and Bella both glanced at Emmett, who had a beefy hand on both their shoulders. Edward hoped Emmett wasn't bearing down on Bella as hard as he was on him; she'd be bruised for certain.

"Hey, you two," Emmett said jovially. "That was some mighty fancy playing, Edwina. Bella, you're the picture of hotness, as usual."

Bella giggled, and Edward glared at him. "And you're the same old ham-handed moron you've always been," he said.

Rosalie sidled up to Bella, rolling her eyes heavenward. "Hi guys," Rosalie said. "Don't mind Emmett, he's just happy to be able to demonstrate to people that he knows the folks in charge of this gala." She smiled sweetly at Em and turned back to Bella. "Nice dress."

"Thanks, Rosalie," Bella replied. "You always look fabulous. I take that as a very high compliment, coming from you."

Rosalie waved as if to say, _"Aw, it's nothing."_

"So, where's the after party?" Emmett asked, wiggling his eyebrows theatrically.

"I wasn't aware that there was one," Alice piped up, as she and Jasper came over to join them.

"You guys can come over to our house," Jasper offered. "We are always ready to party at a moment's notice."

"That's what I'm talking about," Emmett said happily. He turned to Rosalie. "We're in, right, babe?"

"Sure," Rosalie said as enthusiastically as she ever got.

"Are you guys coming?" Alice asked, looking at Bella and Edward.

Edward noticed that Bella seemed a bit apprehensive. He searched her eyes with his. "You want to go?"

"Yeah… but, can we… um go by a little later? I need to go home and change first," she said.

"Sure," he said. "I'll follow you so we can drop off your car."

He got the feeling that she had been on the spot and had said yes only to appease her friends. But she smiled up at him as they excused themselves from their friends, and together, they went to the door and began seeing people out.

~888~

**BPOV**

Bella made short work of changing out of her formal wear. She was hyper-aware that while she was in her bedroom changing, Edward was doing the same in her bathroom. He had become accustomed to carrying a bag with a change of clothes in his car lately, since he was still between his place and his mom's. She changed into a pair of skinny, low-riding jeans and a white Express halter that supported the girls sufficiently, making a bra unnecessary. She donned a pair of strappy Italian leather sandals with a modest heel on them, then released her hair from the restrictive chignon and brushed it out. When she heard Edward exit the bathroom, she entered it from the door in her room, brushed her teeth, dabbed a bit of Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue fragrance on her pulse points, and freshened up her lip gloss. After one last glance in the mirror and a deep, fortifying breath, she joined him in the living room.

He was browsing through a copy of _Callaloo_, a literary journal that she subscribed to that she'd left on the coffee table, but he put it down and stood up as she entered the room. He was wearing a pair of jeans as well, narrow, yet low-slung with a khaki-colored, striped cotton shirt.

"You know, we really don't have to go to Alice and Jasper's if you're not up to it," he said, his eyes taking her in and silently conveying his appreciation of her wardrobe change.

She smiled. "I really do want to go," she assured him. "I just wanted us to come back here for a little while and… talk."

"Okay," he said. He looked puzzled, but he didn't ask her a question right away.

Bella walked over to him. "Do you want to sit down for a few minutes?"

He ran his hand through his hair, glanced over his shoulder as if to see if the sofa were still there behind him, and then he looked back into her eyes again. "Okay." He waited for her to sit on the sofa before he sat down next to her. They were both sitting at right angles, their knees almost touching.

Bella looked up into his eyes. "I can't thank you and your mother enough for the excellent job you both did with the music tonight. It turned out better than I could ever have imagined," she said as she took his hand and laced her fingers through his.

"I'm happy it turned out so well," he said. "Bella, I promised to tell you why I reacted the way I did when my mother kept pressing to meet with you."

"Okay," she said. Bella took his hand that her fingers were wound through and brought it to her lips, kissing the top of it.

She saw him swallow as if there were a lump there. He cleared his throat and continued. "My mother believed everything they taught her at COGS, and some of her views can be quite off-putting. I just don't think its wise for you to be subjected to her right now. Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme have been taking her to church with them, and they've been trying to de-program her, so to speak. I couldn't allow her to hurt you in any way with her skewed doctrine."

Considering how well-received his Vietnamese girlfriend had been back when he was forced to be an acolyte of COGS, it wasn't surprising that he might be worried about how his mother might view her. Bella felt cherished to know that he would protect her at all costs, even from his mother.

"Thank you for warning me," she said. "However, you know that I can take care of myself, right?"

"A fact that you have demonstrated to me time and again, but the former chief priestess of COGS can be lethal. I just didn't want you to walk into a social situation with her expecting tea and crumpets, when she'd be serving up vitriol and venom," he said sheepishly. "That is my mother. It took her a long time to get that way, so I don't think she's changed overnight."

Bella kissed his hand again. He closed his eyes briefly and opened them when she began to speak. "I've got another confession to make," she said, smiling cryptically.

He looked at her as if he were trying to figure something out. "Okay," he said, smiling that sexy crooked smile of his. "I'm all ears."

She mentally gathered herself and began her confession. "When I first met you, I had the strongest reaction I've ever had to anyone of the opposite sex. It was wonderful, but it was also scary as hell." His eyebrow raised slightly when she said the word "hell." She smiled and continued. "Despite all the drama in the beginning, I have always been inexplicably drawn to you. However, I wasn't sure it was something that was sustainable, and so when James came back into my life, I totally believed I needed to give him a chance because he fit my ideal, what I've always believed was everything I've ever wanted in a man. But I realized something this week that took several days to sink in. I was terrified when I found out you were involved in the incident at COGS, and it was during that crisis that I began to feel like I didn't want to date anyone else but you. So, I told James yesterday that I was going to be with you to see where this takes us."

She watched his expression go from serious to elated in the span of thirty seconds. "Isabella Marie," he said, looking her square in the eyes and cupping her cheeks with his hands, "you have just made me the happiest man in Tallahassee."

He pulled her gently into his arms, one hand threading through her hair to the bare nape of her neck and the other pulling her torso flush to his. He held her so close she could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. He then pulled back a few inches to look into her eyes again. "I will never make you regret your decision," he declared.

"I'm going to hold you to that, Edward Anthony," she teased. She then placed both her hands on the sides of his face and leaned in to kiss him. He was an eager participant, their tongues sliding and stroking in the fencing ritual that was becoming their signature kissing style. Bella was beginning to be able to control some of the passion when she concentrated and didn't throw herself into it like falling off of a cliff. She felt him break the kiss, but not completely. He gently sucked her top lip, then her bottom one, and then, finally releasing her mouth completely, he kissed a trail from her mouth to her jaw. He concentrated on the spot where her jaw and neckline met, sending chills through her. When his warm mouth touched the hollow in her neck and he gently sucked the sensitive flesh there, her hands wound their way into his hair. She wound her fingers through the wild strands as she reveled in all the sensations his mouth and tongue were making her feel. A moan escaped her lips that was so guttural and raw, he pulled back as if to check and see if she was all right.

Bella slowly focused, and when her eyes were opened fully, she could see that he was smiling.

"What?" she asked, slightly irritated. "Why did you stop?"

"Because you don't know how long I've wanted to make your eyes roll back like that," he said, his smile getting bigger. "It happens when you take the first drink of your latte in the mornings, and now when I kiss your neck, just so…." He took his hand and caressed the spot where he'd kissed her neck. She closed her eyes and rolled her head toward his hand, effectively trapping it. She kissed the inside of his forearm and raised her head again as she looked into his eyes.

"I guess it's safe to say that you and the latte know just how to stimulate me, Mr. Cullen."

His jaw dropped at her words. She smiled and assaulted his gaping mouth with hers.

~888~

**A/N: **

**Callaloo - T****he premier journal of arts, letters, and cultures of the African Diaspora, publishes original works by, and studies of, black writers worldwide. The journal offers an engaging mixture of fiction, poetry, critical essays, interviews, drama, critical studies, and visual art.**

**The I****mpressionist**** movement in music was a movement in European classical music, mainly in France, that began in the late nineteenth century and continued into the middle of the twentieth century. Like its precursor in the visual arts, musical Impressionism focused on suggestion and atmosphere rather than strong emotion or the depiction of a story as in program music. Musical Impressionism occurred as a reaction to the excesses of the Romantic era. While this era was characterized by a dramatic use of the major and minor scale system, Impressionist music tends to make more use of dissonance and more uncommon scales such as the whole tone scale. Romantic composers also used long forms of music such as the symphony and concerto, while Impressionist composers favored short forms such as the nocturne, arabesque, and prelude. -- from Wickipedia**

**Concert Music - And Translations Where Available:**

_**Suite bergamasque: Prelude, Menuet (Minuet), Clair de lune (Moonlight), **_**and**_**Passepied. **_

_**Nocturne (Night), Danse bohemienne (Gypsy Dance), Reverie (Daydream),**_** and**_**Mazurka. **_

_**Deux**__**Arabesques No. 1: Andantino con moto (Andantino idiot motor bike) and No. 2: Allegretto scherzando.**_

_**The Children's Corner Suite: I. Dr. Gradus and Parnassum, III. Serenade for the Doll, and VI. Golliwogg's Cake Walk.**__**Laboite a joujoux (The Toy Box Has Toys): I. Prelude: Le sommeil de laboite (The Toy-box Asleep), Tableau 3: Labergerie a vendre (The Sheepfold for Sale), Tableau 4: apres fortune faite (The Fortune Made After)- Epilogue, Valse Romantique (Romantic Waltz), Toccata and Feux d'artifice (Fireworks).**_


	16. Ch 15 TLC: Action In the Affirmative

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**He Is**

**by Heather Headley**

Oh my, where do, how do I begin  
To answer the questions I know you been wonderin'?  
When could, why could, how could it all be true?  
These things, who's that, and what's he to you?

He is the mind injector, the heart protector  
The sole defender of anything I fear  
The baby conceiver, the make me believer  
The joy bringer, the love giver

He is the dough increaser, the pleasure releaser  
The hard-knocks knower without the scars to show ya  
The night school teacher, the good life preacher  
The caretaker, the kiss craver

He is!

(Oh) These words are only frostin' on my cake  
Feelings explained, don't do justice to how I feel  
So alive, so in love for the first time.  
No way can I hide who, what...He is, so

Everything, everything I want and I want it  
He is, so  
And so much more than I thought it could be  
So I, girls, I  
I gotta be the same for him For my baby  
yes, he is,

I know exactly what he is

He is

My joy bringer

He is the make it alrighter, the get me through the nighter  
The sole defender of anything I fear  
The pain remover, the bad times undoer  
The joy bringer, the love giver

He is!

_**"I will say of the Lord, 'HE IS my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust'."  
**_**-- Psalm 91:2**

**Chapter 15 - Action In The Affirmative**

**EPOV**

Edward was humming "Taps" in his head at Mach one speed as he held and kissed a supple and pliant Bella in his arms, but to no avail. Bella had laid a kiss on him that had gone straight to the sweet spot. After her comment about him and the latte, his virginal girlfriend had suddenly become a vamp and was seriously pushing the limits of his self-control. It was as if something had clicked in both of them now that they had established that they were indeed embarking on an exclusive dating relationship. It took every ounce of willpower he had to break the kiss.

"Mmm, Bella… baby…" he groaned.

"Hmm…?" she answered, still peppering kisses over his face as she lay sprawled over him on the sofa.

With a heavy sigh that he tried not to make sound like a groan, he sat up and gently cradled her in his lap. Her arms were still around his shoulders and her brown eyes were smoldering as she regarded him through the curtain of her lashes.

"What is it?" she asked innocently. Her kiss-swollen lips were delectable, and as much as he wanted to continue to kiss her, he knew that things could quickly get out of control. While he would never do anything with her or to her that she didn't want him to do, he didn't want their first day as a couple to be marred by his inability to control his overactive libido.

"I think we should be heading over to Alice's," he said. He couldn't help but smirk at how clueless she was of the effect she was having on him.

As she moved to slide out of his lap, her tush made contact with the evidence of his arousal, and he groaned audibly. She gasped, blushing a bright red. Her brown eyes were like saucers, and she covered her gaping mouth with both hands. She then began apologizing profusely.

"I'm so, so sorry… I didn't mean…" She paced, unable to find words to complete her thoughts. "I shouldn't have… sorry."

With his "Taps" trick finally doing its job, Edward stood and attempted to calm her. He stopped her pacing and captured the top of her arms with his hands. His eyes focused on hers with the gentlest, most smug-free expression he could muster. "Bella… Bella, it's okay, really," he said soothingly. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I would worry if I didn't have that reaction with you."

She tried to smile, but her brow was still furrowed worriedly. "Are you sure it's not… too much?"

He smiled and embraced her again, this time as chastely as he could. "Nothing you can do would be too much for me. I just don't want to cross any lines with you that would make you uncomfortable."

"Okay, but I don't want to make this difficult for you, either," she said, leaning back to look into his eyes. "I guess I never knew I was such a passionate person… until now."

"Believe me, passion is good," he said smiling crookedly as he brushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "But maybe not so much when you can't… act on it."

"Right," she said with a shy smile, her face visibly pinking up again. "I guess we should head over to Alice's, then."

~888~

**BPOV **

When they arrived at the Whitlock's, Jasper answered the door, dry erase marker in hand, and ushered them in quickly. "We're playing Pictionary," he explained.

Edward removed his hand from the small of Bella's back and shook Jasper's hand. "Sure you're not just sniffing that?" Edward teased, gesturing toward the marker.

Jasper feigned taking a huge whiff. "Why didn't someone tell me sooner what a great buzz you can get from this stuff?" he asked, playing along. "Go on into the den, fix yourselves some drinks, and come join the game. I'm pretty sure you won't get enough buzz from these markers."

"Jasper, can I talk to you for a second?" Bella inquired. Then looking up at Edward who still had his arm around her waist she asked, "Will you fix drinks for us?"

"Sure, white wine?" he asked, pulling away and backing toward the den.

"Yeah, Riesling, please," she said sweetly. She watched Edward disappear through the door and then turned to Jasper. "How's James?"

"I went by his place and we hung out for a while after the scavenger hunt today. He's hurting, but he's dealing with things. He's reading, praying, and calling his NA sponsor in Atlanta." Jasper paused. "He told me that you had chosen Edward, but I figured as much when you asked me to keep an eye on him."

Bella's throat tightened at his words. "Thank you for being his friend. I am praying for him, too. I feel so bad about hurting him like this. Maybe I should've just taken more time to figure things out and not dated them both."

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Bella. Everyone agreed, and frankly, hurt feelings were inevitable.

"I know, but it doesn't make it any easier," she said solemnly. "Oh! Did you tell Alice?"

"No, I thought you would rather have that honor," he said with a smile.

"Thanks. I'll tell her tonight," she said returning his smile. Edward came out of the den carrying a glass of wine for her and a beer for himself.

Jasper pretended not to see him and continued, "You know, I love Edward like a brother, but don't hesitate to let me know if he gives you any grief." He cracked his knuckles for effect. "I'd be happy to open up a can of 'whoop ass' on him anytime. You just say the word, Bella."

Bella played along. "You'll be the first to know."

Edward handed Bella her wine glass and clapped Jasper on the back. "Thanks, brother," Edward smirked. "But we won't be needing your can-opening skills." He pulled Bella close to his side and slid his arm around her waist. Bella set her wine glass on the table next to her and wound both arms around his waist.

Alice came bounding into the foyer. "Baby, it's your turn again…" she said to Jasper. Then seeing Edward and Bella, she walked over to them. "Hey, you two. We thought we might have to send a search party after you, you guys took so freaking long to get here." She punched Edward on the shoulder playfully.

"Hey," he complained. "Those bony knuckles are like acupuncture needles." Edward set his beer down on the table so both his arms were free to hold Bella. The move didn't go unnoticed by Alice.

"Something's going on with you two," Alice declared, looking from Edward to Bella through narrowed eyes. "So, you might as well tell me."

Edward looked down at Bella and pulled her closer. Bella smiled up at him and then turned to Alice. "We've decided to be exclusive."

Alice squealed, "Oh my God, you guys, that is just… awesome!" She almost bowled Bella over with her hug, and then embraced Edward with the same voracity. Her expression became a smug "I told you so" look. "Cousin, you'd better do right by my best friend," she warned.

"Jasper's already threatened me with a can of 'whoop-ass,' so I think you're good," Edward said with a grimace.

Four other heads peeped out of the living room to see what all the commotion was about. Emmett, Rosalie, Ben, and Angela looked curiously at them.

"Hey guys," Alice said, waving to them. "Come on out and greet the new couple."

Rosalie got to them first with a smirk on her face that turned into a full smile as she stage-whispered to Bella, "If you ever need any help keeping that jerk in line, I know several ways to take a man down." Bella was surprised when she punctuated it with a hug.

Emmett pretended to tackle Edward, but they bobbed and feinted, ending the little dance in an embrace. "Dude," was the extent of what Emmett had to say to him. Then he bear-hugged Bella and declared loudly, "If he even looks like he's about to mess up, call me. I'll kick his ass."

"Okay, what's with all the warnings?" Edward complained, rolling his eyes.

Embracing him, Rosalie said, "We all know your track record, buddy."

Edward pulled Bella close to his side again and laced his fingers through hers. "You're gonna scare Bella away before we get a chance."

Bella wound her arm around him reassuringly and squeezed. "I'm not going anywhere." Then she looked over at Angela and Ben. "Ange, Ben, come and meet Edward. Edward, this is my 'sister from another Mister,' as she affectionately refers to herself, and other best friend, Angela Weber and her boyfriend, Ben Cheney."

"Hello, Edward," Angela said. "I feel like I know you already."

"Hello, Angela. Same here." Edward extended her a hand.

Angela ignored the hand, stepped in, and gave him a hug. "No warnings," Angela smiled. "Just be good to my little sis."

"That is my intention for as long as she'll have me," he said earnestly.

Edward then shook Ben's hand. "Nice to meet you, Ben."

"Likewise," Ben said with a warm smile.

"Let's take this party back into the living room," Jasper said, taking Alice's hand and moving back in that direction. Everyone followed them back into the living room. Bella nudged Edward over to the love seat, so she could keep him close. Everyone else drifted to the sofa while Emmett took the over-sized chair, pulling Rosalie into his lap.

"I think this news calls for a toast," Jasper said, raising his glass. Everyone raised their respective glasses and or bottles. "To Edward and Bella. May fortune forever be kind to you, and happiness be true to you, and life be long and good to you, is the toast of all your friends to you... be good to one another always."

"Honey, they've just decided to date exclusively, not get married!" Alice said with a prodigious eye roll.

Everyone laughed. Not to be dissuaded by his wife, Jasper held his bottle aloft and said, "Well, just have fun, then!"

There was more laughter and a cacophony of voices wishing "here, here." After the customary clinking and a drinking, Edward kissed her sweetly on the lips. Bella had never felt so grateful for good friends.

~888~

**EPOV**

Edward awoke early Sunday morning without the aid of an alarm. He'd had a scalding hot dream about Bella, which had given him the stiffest case of morning wood he'd had since being at his mother's house. Just thinking about where he was saved him from a raging case of blue balls. They had enjoyed a crazy evening at Alice and Jasper's playing Pictionary, then they'd eaten take-out from Lucy Ho's complete with sushi, Sake and other Japanese delicacies. When it was cooler on the patio, they took the party out by the pool and danced until the couples trickled out two by two. He drank minimally because he was driving precious cargo home, and didn't want a repeat of the last time he'd been at the Whitlock's.

He and Bella had not been able to keep their hands off one another. They spent the entire evening touching in some way. If it wasn't dancing, they were sitting together, holding hands or embracing. It was like they were both afraid that if they didn't touch, the night wasn't real. His happiness seemed to be bursting out at the seams. Just three weeks prior, he thought he had lost any chance of ever being with her. And now, he had this beautiful, vivacious woman for a girlfriend and she was all his. No more sharing her with anybody and it was all her choosing. He had allowed her the time and patience necessary to choose and she had chosen him. When that moment came, he'd thought he was going to die from happiness.

He had already gone for a run, showered, put on a fresh pot of coffee, and popped a bagel in the toaster before his mother emerged from her room, dressed and ready to go to church.

"Coffee, Mom?" he asked as he poured himself a steaming cup.

Elizabeth smiled. "I'd love a cup. Thanks, son." She moved to the island and took a seat on one of the chair-backed stools. Edward retrieved another cup and saucer from the cabinet, poured her a cup of coffee, and delivered it to her.

His bagel popped up, and he retrieved it from the toaster before sitting on a bar stool one over from his mother.

"Bagel?" Edward offered.

"I think coffee is all I can manage this morning," Elizabeth confessed as she stirred sugar and creamer into her coffee. "Carlisle, Esme, and I had a late dinner last night at Urbane downtown."

"And you came home after? I thought you were spending the night with them," Edward said impassively as he slathered cream cheese on his bagel.

"I have to get used to staying in this house alone again," she said resignedly. "I'm sure you never intended to move back here indefinitely." She took a sip of her coffee.

"Were you able to sleep before I got in?" he inquired, ignoring her remark.

"Surprisingly, yes." Her green eyes regarded Edward's greener ones with interest. "You're anxious to get back to your life in Tallahassee, I'm sure."

"We do have another event coming up at the Center in a couple of weeks. There's a festival Memorial Day weekend for the community. I should probably be available to help Bella and the volunteers with that project."

"Which reminds me; exactly why was my offer of my time and financial resources to City of Hope so unappealing to you?"

_Here we go. Elizabeth Masen Cullen-Volturi __returns_, Edward thought.

"Mom, it wasn't necessarily unappealing. It just wasn't the right time. Bella has a lot going on and she really doesn't have time to schmooze with well-meaning philanthropists right now." He took a bite of his bagel, washing it down with a swig of coffee.

"Since when did you start speaking for Ms. Swan, Edward? Do you have a relationship with her outside of work?"

"What if I do?" he challenged.

"It would just be nice to know these things," Elizabeth hedged. "Judging from the way you shadowed her last night, I'm guessing something is going on with you two."

"Yes, Bella is very important to me," Edward growled through clenched teeth.

"I figured as much. She's a beautiful girl, and she seems to be very capable, despite her colorful lineage."

Edward's anger spiked, and the one bite he'd taken of the bagel now felt like a brick in his stomach. "That is exactly why I didn't want you to meet with her. I won't stand for you to go spouting any of the prejudices drummed into you by COGS to her, Mom."

"I'm not a racist, Edward," she protested. "I just believe that things would be easier for both of you if you dated someone of your own kind. She can't have had it easy growing up. If this became serious, just think of how it would affect any children you two might have together."

"That's the most ridiculous excuse I've ever heard of," he spat. He stood up and pushed the bar chair forcefully against the island. His mother flinched. "Do me and Bella a favor, Mom. Don't donate any time or money to City of Hope. I have a trust fund, and I can do that. Take your resources elsewhere." With that, he stalked out of the kitchen and into his room to pack his belongings. It was time he moved back to his apartment.

~888~

**BPOV **

"Daddy really brought it this morning," Angela said. "He almost made me feel like I needed to turn in my resignation tomorrow and pursue missionary work in South Africa."

"It's that good old Charlie Swan charisma," Bella replied. "Works every time."

They were headed out of the church foyer to Angela's car so they could meet Edward and Ben for lunch when Bella heard her mother calling after her.

"Bella!" Renee said, as she made her way through the crowd to where they were standing. "So, you were going to leave without saying anything to me or your father?" she asked Bella. Then she turned to Angela. "And we haven't seen you for two weeks, young lady. I expected better from my surrogate offspring."

"Aww, mommy needs a hug," Angela said and threw her arms around Renee.

"It's not like we didn't _just_ see you both last night," Bella said, embracing her mother after Angela released her.

"Come to the house for lunch," Renee offered. "Dan and Laura are coming over, and we've got plenty."

Bella just barely refrained from wincing; she wasn't ready to see James' parents. She didn't want to think about what he might have shared with them about their failed attempt at dating. Bella and Angela exchanged a look, and then Bella looked at Renee. "Sorry, Mom, we're meeting people for lunch."

She purposely made it sound like they were meeting a group rather than just Edward and Ben for lunch; she didn't want to talk about Edward just yet with her parents, either. Although she was an adult and more than capable of making her own decisions, she wasn't ready to defend her choice with them, especially with her dad.

"Okay, well you two should come for dinner one day this week," Renee said. "I want to hear all about your trip home, Angela." She pouted. "And I really would like to see my daughter in a setting other than church or work."

"How about Tuesday night?" Angela asked.

"That works for us," Renee said. "Bella?"

"That's good for me, too." Bella smiled as she began to back toward the parking lot. "We'll see you, then. Hey, kiss Dad for me, please."

Renee smiled mischievously. "A request I will happily grant. You girls have fun at lunch, and we'll see you Tuesday."

"See ya later, Mom," Angela said with a grin.

They turned and Bella followed Angela to her car. She could not wait to see Edward. Bella fished her cell phone out of her purse and looked at her new favorite photo. It was a picture that Alice had taken of her with Edward, cuddling on the love seat the night before. She smiled; they looked completely entranced with one another. On auto-pilot, she got into the car and fastened her seat belt. As she waited for Angela to settle into the passenger seat, she flipped through the rest of the photos, both from the party and the concert. Every photo she saw of Edward nearly took her breath away; she was simply amazed that he was actually hers now. She smiled so widely her face hurt.

"Ooh," Angela said, drawing her out of her immersion into Edward Cullen-land. Bella glanced over at her. "You've got it bad, chica," she said matter-of-factly.

~888~

After lunch, Bella and Edward went to his place, where Bella was surprised to find that he had brought a lot of stuff from his mom's. He didn't say anything about it, just unloaded everything and took it upstairs. He wouldn't allow her to help at all. In his living room, Bella browsed through his CD collection and put on one of her favorites, Nina Simone. Edward emerged from his bedroom and joined her on the sofa after putting his bags away. He'd seemed rather sullen when he'd joined them for lunch, but once they all engaged in conversation he had lightened up considerably. Now that they were alone, she saw something akin to uneasiness on his face again.

"Hey," Bella said, taking his hand in hers. "Want to talk about it?"

"About what?" he asked, caressing her hand and attempting to dazzle her with his smile.

"About why you brought all your stuff home today," she answered. "Did your mother send you packing?"

"Not exactly." He looked away and ran a hand through his hair, leaving a new row of furrows in its wake. "I sent myself packing."

"Did you two have a disagreement?"

"You could say that," he muttered, his gaze flickering back to her. He sighed bitterly. "She still has the demon tentacles of COGS lodged deep within her soul."

Bella's heart broke for him. "That isn't surprising. It takes quite some time for people who've been indoctrinated by a cult to be deprogrammed."

"I knew that would probably be the case, but I hoped she would snap out of it, at least on subjects that matter most to me."

"Give her time, Edward," she coaxed. "Like you said, it took eighteen years for her to get this way."

"Would you still plead for me to go easy on her if I told you we argued about you...specifically your ethnic background?"

She didn't hesitate. "Yes. She is your mother. I can't say it doesn't sting that she doesn't accept me as readily as she would a blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel, but I would never want you two to be estranged over me."

Edward's eyes widened, and then he sighed and shook his head. "Bella, if she doesn't accept you, then she has no relationship with me, period."

Bella didn't push to try and make him see her point of view at that moment. However, she really wanted him to keep communication open with his mother, because she felt it was important to his recovery from all the things he had suffered in his past. She decided to drop it for now and revisit it later. They talked about the books they were each reading, and then he got his guitar out and played. They even sang some songs together, but Bella was most impressed with one that he'd written.

"Edward, that is just beautiful," she gushed.

"You inspired it," he said huskily. She blushed, but wasn't too self-conscious to lean in and kiss his beautiful mouth in thanks.

He laid his guitar on the coffee table and reached for her in earnest. Bella went willingly into his arms. She could feel the contours of his sculpted chest through the fabric of her soft cotton dress, and her body immediately responded to him. It was as if the peaks of her breasts were straining against the fabric of their clothing in an attempt to reach his skin. Her core warmed as hot as molten lava as his tongue explored her mouth and hers reciprocated. She felt his hands caressing that symphony that he was so good at creating on her back, and she toured the rippling muscles beneath her fingers in response. He deepened the kiss, and they moaned in concert, their primal need for one another so great they couldn't help themselves. Edward broke the kiss, but only to trail a path from her mouth to her neck, where he gently sucked her pulse point which made her moan with greater ecstasy. Bella felt herself being drawn toward that ever present precipice, and she tried to rein herself in before she fell headlong into a maelstrom of desire from which she would not be able to extricate herself.

She took control and decided that she would drive this vehicle of desire for a change. She placed her palms flat on his chest and pushed him down on the sofa, where she could taste and explore at her leisure. She attacked his neck and bathed it with moist kisses until she felt the pounding of his heartbeat beneath her lips. Repeating his earlier ministrations, she licked and suckled until he groaned and squeezed her tighter in his arms. She worked her way from his neck to his earlobe, nibbling it gently with her teeth and then sucking it into her mouth. Edward shuddered beneath her and then stiffened.

"Fuck! Oh, Bella... sorry," he groaned savagely. Bella giggled as she released his earlobe and moved to claim his mouth again, winding her hands through his soft bronze hair. He took control again, his kiss leaving her breathless and lightheaded. When he relinquished her lips this time, they were both panting like they had run several miles. Bella rolled onto her side and laid her head on his chest, sighing deeply. She loved how wonderful this man made her feel.

When she was able to focus again, she angled her head to look up at him. He was kind of squinting at her, his green eyes dark and smoldering. "What?" he said, smirking slightly.

"This is going to sound weird, but I kinda like it when you lose control and drop the F-bomb, especially when I'm kissing you."

He chuckled. "Bella, you never cease to amaze me," he said in wonderment, kissing the top of her head.

He eased her off of him and rolled off the sofa before rising to his feet.

"_Edward_," she whined playfully, "where are you going?"

He extended his hand to her. "Maybe we should do something else...something safer, like watching television," he suggested. She took his hand, and he pulled her flush against him, wrapping his arms around her. "You are entirely too tempting for me to stay on the couch kissing you like that."

"Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "But I get to pick what we watch."

He released her, then picked up the remote off the end of the coffee table and put it into her hand. Kissing her temple briefly, he pulled away and went to the cabinet to turn off the stereo.

Still standing, Bella turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels. "You're not a remote hog, are you?" she asked warily, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"To be honest, I don't watch a lot of network TV," he said, returning to stand behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her back to his chest.

She rested the back of her head on his shoulder, her eyes on the television. "How about sports? Are you an ESPN man?"

"I watch my fair share of football and basketball, but my one true indulgence is a cable subscription so I can watch as many Manchester United games as I can and the FIFA World Cup games every four years."

"So, is it safe to say we can skip over anything sports related right now?" she inquired, craning her neck to look at him.

"Depends on who's playing," he mused. She glared at him. He smiled and gestured toward the television. "Just kidding. Tivo will catch whatever I'm missing. Really, we can watch whatever you want to watch."

Bella flipped a few more channels.

"Ooh, _Ghosts Of Mississippi. _True story—my mother's sister, my Aunt Lonnette, is in this movie. It's a non-speaking part, but she and Yolanda King play the Evers' children, and they come out with Whoopi Goldberg at the end—she plays Myrlie Evers."

"Isn't this the movie about how they brought Byron de la Beckwith to trial?" Edward asked, releasing her so that she could put the remote back on the table.

"Yeah," she said, sitting down on the sofa again. She looked up at him and patted the spot beside her. "Come watch with me?"

She didn't wait for him to respond before she turned her attention to the movie. His reply was to slide next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She smiled and patted his thigh, letting her hand rest there.

He whispered in her ear, "You know, that song 'Mississippi Goddam' by Nina Simone was written in response to Medgar Evers' murder and the bombing of the church in Birmingham that killed four little girls."

She looked at him, amazed that he knew pieces of African American History that she hadn't even been aware of. "I knew it was a protest song of some of the atrocities of the civil rights movement, but that is fascinating."

They settled in to watch the movie together. As she had done every other time she had seen the movie, she was overcome with emotion as Myrlie—Whoopi—made her victory statement at the end on the steps of the Courthouse. After having lived with a denial of justice for thirty years, Byron de la Beckwith was finally convicted of murdering her husband. Bella had watched the entire movie in rapt attention, despite having seen it several times. She thought that Edward might have spent more time watching her than the movie, but his response to it would prove her wrong.

Bella laughed as the final scene played, but her vision was blurred with tears, "See, that woman right there, behind Whoopi, that's my Aunt Lonnette."

As the credits rolled, Edward cupped her face with his hands and kissed her tears away. "That's why I won't stand for anyone, not even my mother, to disrespect you, Bella," he murmured. "People like Medgar Evers died for equality in this country. COGS made a mockery of that, and my mother bought into it."

"I'll be hoping and praying that your mother will have a change of heart, not only for me, but primarily for you," she said, lifting her hand to brush a lock of hair from his forehead. "Maybe the Cullens will help her see just how skewed things were at COGS."

Bella was pleased that Edward really "got her" and the precariousness of her ethnicity with no manipulation of the learning curve from her. His sensitivity was not surprising, but his thorough understanding and acceptance of all of who she was… well, that was a very welcome bonus.

~888~

**A/N:**

**NA - Narcotics Anonymous:** is a twelve-step program of recovery from drug addiction, modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). It describes itself as a nonprofit "fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem", and it is the second-largest 12-step organization. As of 2007 there were more than 43,900 NA meetings in 127 countries. The program is group-oriented, and is based on the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions, adapted from AA. (Wickipedia)

**Manchester United Football Club** - is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. Manchester United are the reigning English champions and Club World Cup holders, having won the 2008–09 Premier League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. The club is one of the most successful in the history of English football and has won 22 major honours since Alex Ferguson became manager in November 1986. (Wickipedia)

**FIFA** - The **FIFA World Cup**, occasionally called the **Football World Cup**, but usually referred to simply as the **World Cup**, is an international football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of _Fédération Internationale de Football Association_ (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, because of World War II. (Wickipedia)

**Ghosts of Mississippi** is a 1996 drama film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg and James Woods. The plot is based on the true story of the 1994 trial of Byron De La Beckwith, the white supremacist accused of the 1963 assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers.

**Mississippi Goddam** is a song written and performed by United States singer and pianist Nina Simone. It was first released on her album _Nina Simone in Concert_ which was based on recordings of three concerts she gave at Carnegie Hall in 1964. The song is her response to the murder of Medgar Evers in Mississippi; and the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four black children. On the recording she cynically announces the song as "a show tune, but the show hasn't been written for it yet". The song begins jauntily, with a show tune feel, but demonstrates its political focus early on with its refrain "Alabama's got me so upset, Tennessee's made me lose my rest, and everybody knows about Mississippi _goddam_".


	17. Ch 16 TLC: Things Happen For A Reason

**A/N: As Always, thanks to my beta team SSHG316, Charmie77 and acireamos for beta'ing and helping me in unique ways that encourage and inspire me. I am thankful for them because I totally depend on them and without their input, I would surely crash and burn. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I entertained six additional family members for a total of twelve of us celebrating the holidays together. It wasn't Norman Rockwellian, because we had our drama, but good times prevailed. I am glad to have an extended family that loves me, since my parents are no longer with us. My advice to all of you is to cherish family even when they are imperfect, as we all are, and sometimes get on your last nerve!**

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**Seasons Change**

**by Corinne Bailey Rae**

Maybe you've been pouring everything into this

your mistake of this attends to agony,

you can't predict this when it comes to it,  
You can't hide from me, but don't you surrender anything..

Hurts me to see you feel this way but it won't be always,

don't you know everything got to change...

feels like all your hope is gone, you can't carry on,

but there's nothing, you don't have to pretend with me,

Don't you know that, patience is a virtue (yes it is),

and life is a waiting game...don't you know that, peace must be nurtured

All the money in the world can buy you nothing, (let me tell you that)...  
All these things happen, all these things happen for a reason...

don't you go and throw it all away, when the seasons change  
When the seasons change

_**"He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning."**__**  
**_**-- Daniel 2:21 NIV**

**Chapter 16 - Things Happen For A Reason**

**EPOV**

The canopy of trees on St. Augustine Road was quite beautiful, making for a very scenic run on Tuesday morning. However, the narrowness of the road and the cars passing a little too close to Bella had Edward concerned for her safety as they ran together for the second time that week. On Monday morning when they had first run together, he had not been satisfied with the decidedly girly and not very supportive running shoes she had been wearing. Therefore, he had encouraged her to go to Shaw's Athletics and get a new pair. When she left the Center on Monday after work, he'd already set up an appointment for her to go in and be fitted for a pair of Brooks running shoes.

So today, she was wearing the new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS Nines, which were much like the ones he wore. She had given him a check for the shoes, because the salesman at Shaw's had refused to take her payment, just as he had instructed them to do. Edward had already paid for the shoes and had decided he wouldn't argue with her about it, but would just never cash her check. She could be stubborn, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. He smiled as he glanced at her again, running beside him, the high ponytail on the back of her head bouncing jauntily. She smiled back and accelerated just a bit as they rounded the corner.

Edward was relieved when they finally reached Blairstone again and headed south on a gradual downhill slope toward her sleepy community in Southwood. Blairstone was wider and boasted the relative safety of a sidewalk all the way. They were back at her place in no time, where she insisted she would make them omelettes for breakfast. While Bella assembled everything in the kitchen, Edward took a quick shower. His intentions had been to run back by his place and shower and change before going to his 9:30 appointment with Dr. Levy, but he couldn't resist taking Bella up on her offer. He couldn't get enough of being with her, and luckily, he had his duffel bag and a uniform in the car.

When he emerged from the bathroom, she instructed him to leave everything as it was until she returned. There was an assortment of fresh fruit, wheat bread for toast, omelette fixings, and fresh squeezed orange juice. He heard the shower go on and immediately got a visual of her lathering that wet wonderland that was her sexy body. He then decided he needed to do something to keep his mind off what was going on in the other room, because he did not want to embarrass himself or anger her by acting on his overwhelming desire to go in there and join her. Instead, he decided to refocus his attention and went into the kitchen to finish up breakfast. Of course, there was the added benefit that they could eat, relax for a few minutes, and possibly fool around a bit before he had to leave. His mouth curved into a smug smile, and he quickly got busy mixing up the eggs with the ingredients Bella had already chopped up. He was flipping the second omelette onto a plate when Bella reappeared.

"You didn't follow my instructions," she admonished him. Her mouth was turned up in a teasing smirk.

Glancing over at her while he balanced the two plates in his hands, his heart rate accelerated until he felt as if he were still running. Edward had come to the conclusion that, no matter what Bella wore, he would have some physical reaction to her beauty whenever he was in her presence. Her sleeveless dress was simple, nothing fancy, but he was mesmerized by how the bright blue color made her exotic skin seem to glow; she looked even more delicious than the breakfast they were about to consume. He had never hummed "Taps" so much in his life, but he would do it for her for as long as he had to.

"You did all the prep work, so this was a piece of cake," he said with a wry smile. "Besides, now we can sit down and eat." He carried both plates to the table where the toast, fresh fruit, and orange juice were already waiting for them. He held out a chair for Bella, and she smiled up at him.

"Hey, I could get used to this," she said, taking the proffered seat and placing the napkin in her lap.

Edward took his own seat and mimicked her actions. "I could do this as often as you'd like—that is, until you get tired of omelettes, pasta, steak and potatoes. That's the extent of my cooking repertoire."

"I love pasta. Bring it on, baby." She ate a forkful of omelette, not taking her eyes off of him. "Mmm, this is perfect."

It didn't go unnoticed that she'd called him "baby." His lips turned up into a smile. "I make a mean lasagna, but I don't do it often because I get tired of eating it for days on end. I could make it for us tonight." He took a forkful of his omelette and a bite of toast.

"Make that tomorrow night, and you've got yourself a deal. I'm having dinner at the parents' tonight." Bella grimaced slightly.

"What? Is your mom not a good cook?" he asked.

She took a sip of her juice and then shook her head. "No, my mother is an excellent cook. I'm just not looking forward to the questions I'll undoubtedly get about James… and probably about you, too."

"Oh, right. They're good friends of the Halls'."

"Exactly. But it's not my mother I'm worried about," she admitted ruefully.

He frowned. "Your dad doesn't have reservations about me, does he?"

"Not you per se. My dad has never met anyone who's passed his litmus test… yet." she sighed heavily. She drank another sip of orange juice, wiped her mouth with her napkin, and placed it back in her lap.

"Didn't young Reverend Hall pass muster?" he asked incredulously.

"James and I just went out on a few dates; he was never presented to my parents as a serious boyfriend. And just because my dad's known his dad a long time didn't mean he was an automatic shoo-in, either."

"Don't I get any points from Reverend Swan for being his comrade in blue?" he asked, tongue-in-cheek.

"Maybe," she said, smiling. "But be warned, Charlie Swan doesn't grant points as quickly as his daughter does."

"I'll just have to figure out how to win him over. In the mean time, tomorrow night, dinner at my place." He smiled.

After breakfast was eaten and they did a quick cleanup, there was about a half-hour to spare before Edward needed to leave for his appointment with Dr. Levy. Bella put her iPod on the home base and played a shuffle of soft jazz tunes while they lounged on the sofa. Deciding she wasn't close enough, he eased her closer until her back was flush against his chest. She leaned her head back slightly and sniffed.

"You always smell so good," she said, reaching up and touching his clean shaven cheek with her hand. "What cologne do you wear?"

"L'eau D'Issey Pour Homme. Glad you like it." He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a slight squeeze, dragging his nose along an exposed part of her neck. "I cheated, " he confessed. "I read the name of your fragrance on your shower gel this morning." He moved her hair across the back of her neck to one shoulder to have unhindered access and laid a generous kiss on her neck. Then he whispered against her silky skin, "I thank Mr. Dolce and Mr. Gabana for making you even more irresistible than you already are."

Bella giggled, and he felt the vibration of her body in his chest. "And I thank Mr. Miyake for enhancing that wonderful Edward smell you've got going on," she said.

He chuckled. "While you're at it let's thank soap and water for keeping that Edward smell pleasant. I never appreciated it more until I spent several years in the Middle East."

"And I complained when we did gymnastics drills in the summer. Sweat and humidity is not a friend to any woman's hair, especially women of my ethnicity. I personally thank my African American and European ancestors for a mixture that is tolerable."

He buried his nose in her hair. "Your hair feels like silk and smells like honeysuckle."

"I owe that to my mother, her ambiguous ethnic background, and great shampoo. Alice likes to call us beautiful mutts."

"Leave it to Alice to say something so utterly inappropriate, yet somehow endearing." He ran his hands down the smooth skin on her arms, leaving tiny goosebumps in his wake.

"I know, right? She and Angela are probably the only two women who could say that to me." He smiled as Bella shivered involuntarily at his touch. "I had a hard time making lasting girlfriends when I was growing up."

"How is that possible?" he asked. "You're one of the most selfless people I've ever met."

She shrugged. "I suppose it was because I was shy and blushed at the slightest provocation which some people may have misconstrued as standoffishness. Middle school was really the worst. I had to grow a backbone pretty quickly, or be swallowed up by the mean girls. I wasn't black enough for the black girls _or _the white girls. The black girls thought I wasn't 'keeping it real' enough and the white girls wanted me to be more ghetto fabulous or something. It was crazy, but my parents were always there for me. When Angela came to live with us in the 9th grade, she was my very first girlfriend who didn't judge me in some way. Things got better as I became more assertive. My mother taught me how to fight with words, and my dad taught me a little self-defense."

Edward tightened his arms around her, even though he knew his comfort couldn't erase the past. Children could be cruel, but he had no idea that Bella had suffered so much when she'd been younger. Despite his mother's belief in the COGS dogma that eschewed mixed race couples, she had been right about one thing: It had been rather difficult for Bella growing up. He felt even closer to her now, knowing that they'd had similar experiences as children making friends. Thankfully, she'd gotten Angela and he'd had Emmett to make growing up just a little more tolerable.

"I imagine that people have always been uncomfortable with anyone who doesn't look and act just like them. I've always believed the world would be a better place if people realized that no matter what color we are, we all really want the same things in life. We just might go about different ways of getting them," he stated with conviction.

"You understand people of other cultures really well. That had to be an advantage for you in the Middle East. You remind me of our missionary friends from the Ivory Coast. They were the first white couple that really accepted my parents… especially my mom. I spent a couple of summers helping them in the urban areas of Abidjan on mission trips with our church when I was in high school."

"That's why your French is so good," he murmured. "I learned just enough Arabic to get by in Iraq and a few Dari and Pashto greetings while in Afghanistan. We always had translators around for more intense conversations."

"Nothing like total immersion into a language," she said. "I took French in school before I visited, but it didn't come alive to me until I heard it spoken by the natives and had to sink or swim."

"I'm glad you swam, because hearing you speak French is extremely sexy. I feel like Gomez Addams. 'Speak French to me, baby,' he'd say, then Morticia would say something mundane in French and he would get absolutely amorous with her arm." He kissed a trail down her arm in demonstration.

Bella giggled. "That tickles. How did Morticia ever keep a straight face?"

"She was a monster with unbelievable self-control," he answered.

"I kind of envy her that," Bella said, turning to face him. "I forget what that is when I'm around you."

"Me, too," he whispered, pressing his lips firmly against hers and losing himself in her once again.

He had to speed to make it to Dr. Levy's office on time.

~888~

"Edward," Dr. Levy said as he scribbled something on his pad, "there is a USMC Support Group at the VA Outpatient Clinic that I think you should consider attending."

Involvement in group therapy had been somewhat of a sticking point for him when he'd been in therapy before. It was one thing to share one-on-one with a therapist, but wholly another thing to share private personal information with a room full of strangers. But this time, if it would get him where he needed to be quicker... For Bella, he would be willing to try it.

"In your professional opinion, will my involvement in a group session speed up my progress?" Edward asked.

"I've found that sharing with other brothers-in-arms brings a facet to your therapy that I can't provide having never been in the military," Dr. Levy answered evenly. "Only another Marine who has seen what you've seen can truly relate to your tour and the death of a fallen comrade."

Edward hesitated only briefly. "When do I start?"

Dr. Levy looked in another file on his desk. "There's a group that meets on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7:30 to 8:30."

"I guess I'll go tonight, then." Bella was eating dinner at her parents', so it worked out perfectly.

"Good." Dr. Levy smiled. "I think we're making progress on the incident at COGS. Next session, we'll be moving on with some interpersonal issues. One last thing for today. I assume you work out?"

Edward nodded.

"Good. Do you have access to a speed or heavy bag?"

"Yeah, there's a gym at my apartment complex."

"Okay, for next session, I want you to really think about the lifestyle you led with both your parents, but only when you've got access to the punching bag. I want you to channel all your anger into that bag. Visualize Aro or Marcus Volturi, your dad, or whomever you have to, to make it real."

"That I can do," Edward said. His hands balled into fists almost involuntarily.

"How's it going with that special lady in your life?" Dr. Levy was a master at mood control. Edward's countenance changed immediately.

"Unbelievably well," Edward said truthfully, a huge grin splayed across his face. "She is amazing."

"That's great, Edward." Dr. Levy stood up and extended his hand. "Our time is up, now. But we'll get a chance to talk about her more in depth soon, I'm sure."

Edward shook Dr. Levy's hand. "Now, Bella's a subject I can talk about without needing a punching bag."

"A significant other can be an unbelievably soothing and stabilizing influence in our lives. I thank God for my wife."

Edward had never thought of Dr. Levy as a man of faith before, but it figured. He was a friend of Jasper's after all. "I am thankful for Bella," Edward said simply.

~888~

**BPOV**

Bella left the Center shortly after the volunteers and headed to her parents home. She had spent a few minutes with Edward after closing, and he'd told her about the new group therapy sessions he would be attending. They'd made tentative plans to meet at her apartment after their separate engagements. While traveling north on Thomasville Road, she couldn't help but think about James and wonder how he was doing. The silence between them was excruciating. She realized that she had hurt him with her decision, but still hoped that they would eventually be friends.

She pulled into the circular drive and parked in front of the garage to the left of the house. Despite leaving a little later than planned, apparently she had still beaten Angela there. She entered the house through the front door and from the heavenly smell wafting through the house, Bella knew that her mother had made something with garlic. Having eaten only a salad for lunch, the overpowering smell was enough to get her mouth watering. She found her mother in the kitchen, chopping salad fixings. Bella set her purse on a bar stool and joined her mom at the island, giving her a side hug so as to not disturb her cutting.

"Hey, Mom," she murmured. "Something smells delicious."

"Lovely," Renee crooned. She kissed her daughter's cheek, as her hands were otherwise occupied. "I'm making your favorite chicken dish."

"Lime Garlic Chicken?" Bella asked, enthused.

Renee smiled. "Yes, with wild rice pilaf, green beans almondine, and a salad."

"Ange will be happy, too. It's also her favorite."

"Like I would forget that. You girls used to bribe me into making it all the time."

"Yeah, you got a lot of household chores done in exchange for it, as I recall." Bella grabbed a piece of carrot off the cutting board and popped it into her mouth.

Renee turned off the heat on the stove.

"Can I do anything to help you, Mom?" Bella asked.

"Actually, the table's set and the salad was the last of the prep work." Renee pulled out a stool and sat down. "You can sit here and talk to me until the chicken is done or Angela and your father get here, whichever comes first."

"Okay," Bella acquiesced and occupied the stool next to her mother. "So, how are are things at Swan, Thomas, Zachary, and Brewster, PA?"

"Things are fine at the firm. But I don't want to talk about work. I want to know how things are going with you. Laura tells me that you and James aren't seeing one another anymore."

_Way to get straight to the point, Mom._

Bella almost felt like she had when she was a little girl and had gotten into trouble with her mother, which thankfully hadn't been very often. She could tell that her mother wanted some answers, so she didn't equivocate. She looked squarely into her mother's hazel eyes.

"James will make some woman very happy, but I couldn't continue to string him along when I realized I didn't have strong enough feelings for him to build a good foundation for a relationship. I liked him a lot, and still do, but only in a purely platonic way."

Renee frowned slightly. "I understand, baby. Laura's just a bit concerned about James' emotional state right now. They haven't seen him since the first day they moved in. He's reporting to work, but keeping to himself in the music hall."

Bella got a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Mom, I never meant to hurt him, I promise," she whispered through a tightening throat. She hung her head, steeling herself not to cry.

Renee smiled ruefully, touched her daughter's chin, and nudged it up determinedly. "There are so many other things that could be stressing that young man out right now. Don't blame yourself entirely for something that just couldn't be helped."

"I've wanted to call him, but he asked me to give him time to adjust, so I haven't pushed it. I'll call him later tonight," Bella vowed.

Renee prepared herself for the next question, much like Bella had seen her do in the courtroom when she was trying cases. "Does your lackluster affection for James have anything to do with a bronze-haired, green-eyed cop who escorted you around the concert last weekend?"

Much like the defendant being interrogated by her mother, Bella attempted to resist. "Why do you ask that?"

"Because any observant mother could see that you two were oddly oriented toward one another. That young man couldn't keep his eyes off you and neither could you keep yours off him."

Cornered by her mother's skillful questioning, Bella found herself spilling her guts. "Okay, yes... Edward has become extremely important to me in the month we've worked together at the Center. Was it really that obvious Saturday?"

"Do bees make honey?" Renee asked sardonically.

"Did you discuss this with Dad?"

"No, not yet. Men can be strangely oblivious to affairs of the heart until it's painfully obvious. I wanted to be sure I was actually seeing what I thought I was seeing first. Anyway, would it be so bad for your father to know that you're dating someone special now? We discussed the brief James interlude, and while he wasn't completely over the moon about it, he thought you could probably do worse," Renee said, smiling.

"That's exactly why I don't want Dad to know, yet. He's been leery of every guy I've ever brought home, and I don't want to jinx this. We just became official on Saturday night and want to make sure it's real and sustainable before we make the formal parental introductions, okay?"

"Okay, baby. I'll give you time to get to know your new beau before I clamor for some mom time with the young man who could become my future son-in-law," Renee said, grinning mischievously.

Sighing dramatically, Bella rolled her eyes. "Here you go with the 'beau' and 'future son-in-law' thing again. We haven't made any declarations of everlasting love and devotion, or anything, Mom."

"I think that waltz was his way of sweeping you off your feet. And the way you two were devouring one another with your eyes, it won't be long," Renee said with a knowing smile. "You mark my words."

~888~

Dinner was as delicious as it smelled. Bella felt like she was back in high school with her mom, dad, and Angela all around the table at one time again. They all caught up and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. Angela shared the highlights of her trip to Malta, and Charlie teased her about engagement announcements coming soon now that Ben had met her parents.

"Actually, I talked to my little brother today, and he let it slip that Ben had talked to Dad about his intentions the day before we left," Angela said coyly as she noshed on a green bean.

"Aww," Renee said. "You must tell us as soon as he pops the question."

"Don't worry," Angela assured her. "Believe me, when that happens, I'm going public—big time."

Bella grinned. "I can see us now touring around Tallahassee in a convertible, Angela perched on the back with a bullhorn, doing a little left-handed pageant girl wave, so all the locals can see the rock Ben has placed on her ring finger."

They all laughed. "That's really not a bad idea," Angela said, looking for all the world like she was very serious.

Bella's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, appalled that Angela might be considering such a thing.

Angela giggled. "Just kidding. I'm not _that_ gauche."

Renee and Charlie shared the look of proud parents as they regarded the girls bantering like they'd done when they were living in the house with them in high school.

"We know the end of year festival is going on at the Center this weekend, but remember the family get together for Memorial Day, girls," Renee said.

"Yeah, be sure to extend Ben an invitation, Ange," Charlie said. "He might have passed muster with your dad, but he has yet to obtain my blessing."

"Daddy Swan, you've only known Ben for three years," Angela complained.

"Knowing him and him wanting to marry my surrogate daughter are two separate things," Charlie said. "I promise not to make him squirm too much… I'm saving that for Bella's fiancé."

Bella whipped her head around, stunned by her father's sudden pronouncement. She and Angela then looked pleadingly to Renee.

"Now honey, give the girls a break," Renee encouraged. "Bring Ben, Angela. I'll rein Daddy Swan in, I promise. Bella, you should bring a date, too," Renee said, winking when she saw that Charlie was busy cutting his chicken.

Bella practically choked on her wine, and her dad commenced to patting her firmly yet gently on her back.

"You probably shouldn't breathe in while you're swallowing, Bells," Charlie teased. "We know you're not going out with James anymore. Maybe you should bring Officer Cullen—you two dance really well together."

Bella gasped and fell into another coughing jag. Renee's eyes got as big as saucers, and Angela started coughing, too, in a desperate attempt to disguise her desire to laugh out loud.

~888~

Renee sent both Bella and Angela home with leftovers, declaring that it would go to waste since she and Charlie were going to be out entertaining either clients or church members the rest of the week. Bella happily took her portion. She would surprise Edward with the food. He'd gone straight to his group therapy session after work, so he would probably be hungry when he dropped by her place afterwards. She parked in her customary parking spot in front of her apartment building, and was about to head up the stairs, when she spotted James' gold Audi parked three spaces over from her.

She had intended to call him tonight, but a face-to-face talk might be even better. She hadn't expected this surprise, but she put on a smile and walked around to the driver side of the car. She really wanted to see him and find out how he was doing for herself. As she approached, she realized he was slumped over the steering wheel. She frowned as she became increasingly concerned. She knocked on his window and saw him move slightly. Knocking harder with her knuckles, he finally sat up and peered through the window at her through bleary eyes. Bella was alarmed to see his hair oily and in a wild disarray, his clothing wrinkled and disheveled.

"James!" she said as she motioned for him to let his window down. His reaction was a bit delayed, but he finally acquiesced to her demand and the window powered down.

With his window down, she was hit full force with the overwhelming scent of alcohol. It was so strong, it seemed to be seeping from his pores.

"Hey," she said, trying to sound calm. "What's going on with you?"

"Bellaaa… just wanted to s-see you," he slurred, a sloppy grin on his face.

"James, you've been drinking. Why are you driving like this?" She regarded him with a mixture of chagrin and concern.

"I jus—wanted to see you," he repeated.

Bella pulled on his door handle, but it wouldn't budge. "Unlock the door," she said gently. He hit the auto door lock and she pulled the door open. "Get out, and come with me," she ordered. They may not be dating anymore, but she couldn't send him away in this state. He really did not need to be behind the wheel of his car right now.

He seemed to be doing everything in slow motion. He took his keys out of the ignition and threw his left leg out of the car. Bella braced herself, shifted her purse on one arm and the bag of food in the other. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she would begin by making a pot of coffee and trying to sober him up so they could talk. He finally got both legs out and stood up, steadying himself by using Bella's shoulders as a stabilizer. When he cleared the car door, she took his keys and shut and locked the doors. Maneuvering him toward the stairs, she allowed him to generously lean on her when he wobbled.

"I missss you… Bellaaa," he said.

"I miss you, too, James. But it's not making me happy to see you like this right now," she said, hoping her honesty would somehow spur him to sober up so she could really talk to him.

He stumbled on the second step on the stairs, and she steadied him as much as her slight frame was able.

"S-sorry," he mumbled.

"Can you make it up the steps with me?" she asked, breathing heavily from the strain of trying to support his solid muscular weight up the steps.

"I think s-so," he said. "Let me hold this, so I won't h-hurt you." He reached for the banister and held it as they made the next few steps. It did ease the burden on her considerably, and they were at her door within thirty seconds. She ushered him in and deposited him on the sofa, where he promptly lay down and closed his eyes. She rushed back to the door to close it and then watched him warily as she took the food into the kitchen and placed it in the fridge. She started the coffee brewing and took a few calming breaths. She hoped that he hadn't descended completely back into the hell he'd suffered a few years ago. She went back into the living room where he was sprawled on the sofa and sat on the coffee table in front of him. She shook him vigorously.

"James, wake up," she said forcefully. "Have you had anything besides something to drink?" If he had ingested any drugs, she didn't want him to go to sleep and never wake up again.

He opened his eyes briefly but then promptly closed them again. He massaged his eyelids with the thumb and little finger of his right hand and opened his eyes again. He smiled at her, and Bella gave him a tentative smile back.

"Have you had anything besides something to drink?" she repeated.

"No," he said. "I don d-do drugs anymore, Bella. You know that…" He sounded like a hurt little boy.

"Yes, I know, sweetie, but if you keep drinking like this, you might. Do you think you could drink some coffee for me?"

"I'd d-do any… anything for you…" he said and began to drift off again. She looked over the bar into the kitchen at the coffeepot. The coffee wasn't brewing fast enough. She felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. Checking the display, she saw it was a text from Edward. He wanted her to know he was on his way and asked if she needed him to bring anything. She decided that a text message conversation wouldn't suffice for this one. Leaving James on the sofa, she went into the kitchen to call Edward.

"Hello, beautiful," he said. "I was gonna' grab something on my way over. Do you need anything?"

"Hey, handsome. Um… no, I'm good. Can you just come on over… now? I've got some of my mom's famous Lime Garlic Chicken for you."

"That sounds fantastic. I'm on my w—"

"And Edward," she interrupted.

"Yeah."

"James is here. He was passed out drunk in his car when I got home. I'm making coffee and hoping to get him sober enough to talk to him, so I can get him home. But I need your help." She said it all in a rush.

"I'll be right there," he said without hesitation.

Clicking her phone shut, she slid it back into her pocket. She grabbed a mug out of the cabinet and poured it three quarters full. It would be a travesty if he scalded himself while trying to drink the coffee. Carrying the cup over to the coffee table, she set it down and shook James again. He opened his eyes and smiled up at her.

"Hey," she said. "I've got some coffee here for you. You think you can drink it?"

"Okay…" He struggled to sit up, and she stood to assist him. Once he was settled, she sat back down on the coffee table in front of him and handed him the mug.

He took it gingerly and blew sloppily across the top of the coffee. She was glad she hadn't filled it up, the way it was sloshing around in the mug. She cupped his hands around the mug and helped him bring it to his lips. He took a sip.

"You m-make grrreat coffee, Bellaaa," he said. "Jus like Mom's."

"Thanks," she said with a smirk, in spite of herself. "Speaking of your mom, you know she's worried about you, right?"

"You talked to Mom?" he asked. His cobalt blue eyes looked lucid for the first time.

"No, actually your mom talked to my mom, and then my mom told me," she said as if she were talking to one of her students at the Center. "James, please promise me you will not do anything to break your mother's heart… or mine."

"I promissse," he said, looking like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Here, drink some more coffee," she said as she helped him bring the mug back to his lips. He took a rather big gulp this time and scowled as the hot coffee undoubtedly scalded his mouth. "Take it easy," she said. "You don't need to burn those beautiful vocal cords. They are your livelihood, you know."

"Yeah," he whispered, still grimacing from the burn.

"Do you need me to call your sponsor?" Bella asked. "Edward is coming and we can get you back home."

James closed his eyes again when she said Edward's name.

"Why did you call _him_?" James asked, irritation evident in his tone.

"We already had plans to meet here," she said. "He will help you, James. You may see him as the guy who stole me away from you, but he is very kind and compassionate. He takes his oath to protect and serve seriously."

James set the mug on the table next to her as they heard someone, most likely Edward, bounding up the stairs before coming to a stop at her door. The doorbell rang once, and then the door swung open. Edward had a wild look about him, but he calmed visibly when he saw everything was under control. He looked pointedly at the doorknob still in his hand.

"Locks, Bella?" he asked.

"I knew you were coming," she explained.

James rubbed his face with both hands and picked up the coffee mug again, this time swallowing half of what was left. "Good," she said smiling at him.

Bella stood up and walked over to greet Edward who had finally closed the door and locked it. She had to tiptoe just to reach his cheek, which she kissed and briefly embraced him. "Thank you so much for coming," she said. She looked back at James who sat with his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees.

"So, you really think it was just alcohol?" Edward whispered.

"Yeah," she said softly. "I don't think he would lie to me, and he seems to be responding to the coffee." She walked back over to the table. Edward followed. "I'll top you off again," she said to James, who with eyes still closed was leaning toward reclining again. Aloud, she said to Edward with a smile, "I'll heat dinner for you, while I'm at it," then mouthed, "Talk to him."

Edward, looking alarmed, mouthed back with accentuating hand gestures, "Me? What am I supposed to say to him?"

"You'll think of something," she stage-whispered, then stalked off into the kitchen.

~888~

**EPOV**

Edward cleared his throat. "James…"

"Edward," James replied, saying it like it was a greeting, but he still didn't open his eyes or look at him.

"James… I was right where you are a few weeks ago," Edward said, beginning again. "Believe me, I feel your pain. There's just something about the thought of losing Bella that makes you want to drink all the alcohol in Tallahassee, isn't there?"

"I heard that!" Bella yelled from the kitchen. "I asked you to talk to him, Edward, not make it my fault that grown men choose to try to drink all the freaking alcohol in Tallahassee."

James started to laugh. Edward joined him as he took up residence on the recliner. When Bella came back with James' coffee mug, she set it on the table in front of him with a thud so hard it made a bit of it slosh over the side. She headed back to the kitchen, but Edward grabbed her hand and looked up at her with his best rendition of "puppy dog eyes" he could muster. She slapped his hand away and went back into the kitchen. There was a fresh round of laughter as they realized Bella was totally miffed at them both.

When their laughter subsided, James shook his head and picked up the mug and blew on the coffee. He took a huge sip and set it back on the table. "You know, it wasn't really a bright idea for me to come here like this," James said with a wry smile. "You could've had me arrested for DUI or stalking, or something."

"Well, yeah, I could've," Edward said. "But that wouldn't have made Bella happy with me."

"James, would you like something to eat?" Bella called out of the kitchen. She was ever the polite hostess despite her current displeasure with her guests.

James looked at Edward as if asking him for permission to answer. Edward threw his hands up as if to say "whatever." If James Hall hadn't been in such a pitiful state, and he could do it without Bella knowing, he would kick his ass out. As it was, Edward was not happy that James was horning in on some serious make-out time with Bella.

"Don't go to any extra trouble, but if you have some to spare…" James yelled back rather sheepishly.

Edward rolled his eyes laboriously and said to James under his breath, "Eat fast, Hall. You've got fifteen minutes."

James just sighed and leaned back into the sofa, both arms resting across the back of it, kind of gloating at Edward.

Edward scowled at him and stood up. "You need help in there, babe?" he called out.

James narrowed his eyes at Edward, picked up the mug and took another swig of coffee.

In answer, Bella came out of the kitchen carrying two plates heaping with food and set them on the dining table. "All right boys," she said. "Renee Swan's Lime Garlic Chicken is now served. Eat up."

~888~

By the time they got James back to his place with instructions for him to call his NA sponsor and drink plenty of water until he got sleepy, it was almost ten. Bella didn't send him away, though, so Edward followed her back upstairs when they returned to her place. They were barely inside the door when she attacked his happy ass. It played out very much like the morning session, except they began against her door and worked their way to the sofa.

This time, he was only too surprised when she placed his hand on her breast. He felt like a teenager again, getting lucky for the first time. This was a clothing-still-on caress, and purely above the waist, but he couldn't contain his excitement with this new liberty she had given him. He had worshipped her beautiful breasts from afar and rubbed them against his chest whenever he held her close, but touching them through her shirt thrilled him enough to bring him almost to the brink of the beginning of an orgasm. They were small in comparison to some he'd known, but he was of the "more than a handful is a waste" club. There was no waste here, just perfection that responded as if they recognized his touch.

Her nipples pebbled exquisitely under his gentle ministrations, and she moaned with delight, the sound shooting straight to his groin. He would need a long, cold shower tonight, he decided as he released her lips, only to blaze a trail of kisses from her mouth to her collar bone. His hands were still busy with his newly discovered playthings, as he licked and sucked every inch of exposed skin she granted him access to. He moved his head lower and kissed first one peak and then the other through the fabric, all the while being careful not to crush her tiny frame with his own. She fisted her hands in his hair and held his head still as she shivered involuntarily against him.

Edward shifted on the sofa and rolled them both over, with Bella now on top. She explored every inch of his chest with her hands as she now kissed his mouth, his neck, and finally his chest through his shirt, as well. It was her chance to reciprocate everything he'd done to her, and he couldn't refuse her; just this bit of intimacy with her made him feel like he was finally worth of her.

Before Bella, being with a woman like this had meant getting laid, and that's all it was—a means to getting himself off. But this was… more. The connection he was establishing with Bella already meant more to him than any one-night stand or marathon hook-up he'd shared with any other woman. Like James, he had fallen into self-destructive behavior when he thought he'd lost her. He wouldn't make that mistake again, if he could help it.

He claimed her lips again, for what he told himself would be the final time tonight before he went home. _Fuck!_ He was harder than a titanium rod, and he needed to get home to the release that for now he would only find in his shower. He released her lips and opened his eyes. Bella was extraordinarily beautiful when she was thoroughly kissed. He couldn't wait to see what she looked like during and after an orgasm. Those might be attainable goals in the short term. Seeing her after she'd been thoroughly made love to… that would take a while. Despite the painful hard-on tenting his pants, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of pleasures to come.

"What?" Bella asked as she opened her eyes to see his wide smile.

He sat up, being careful to haul her up with him so they wouldn't have a repeat of Saturday night. He laced her hand through his, humming "Taps" in his head. He didn't want to have to adjust himself in front of her.

"It's just getting late," he said in answer.

"Yeah, I guess we need to get some sleep if we're going to run in the morning," she said. "These early mornings are going to eventually catch up with me, non-morning person that I am."

"Why don't we skip the run in the morning," he suggested. He needed to practice the therapy techniques that Dr. Levy had asked him to try.

"Okay," she agreed, without hesitation. She stood up, took his hands, and assisted in pulling him up off the sofa. She wound her arms around his waist and gave him a squeeze. "Thanks again for helping James."

He was blown away at how caring she was. Most girls could dump a guy and not give him a second thought. But here she even had him caring for a guy she had dumped.

"Maybe if we hadn't gone after the same girl, James and I might have been friends," he said, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"You still might be, eventually," she mumbled against his chest, stifling a yawn.

"See, you're tired, and you need a good night's rest." He pulled her in for a hug. "I'll be in at eleven in the morning, okay? I've got a date with a punching bag, and I really need to spend some time on the range before I come in."

"Oh fun!" she exclaimed with mock enthusiasm.

"I can still give you a wake-up call at six so you can join me," he teased. He released her from his embrace but threw an arm around her shoulders, and she kept an arm around his waist as they walked together to the door.

"I'll hunt you down like a fugitive if you wake me before eight in the morning."

"The grumpy non-morning person emerges." He kissed her soundly on the lips and then gave her a wink before he exited her door and headed home.

~888~

**E/N: Stories I have been enamored with lately: "Last Rites" by halojones; "The Cannabean Bethrothal" by ItzMegan73; and "Daedalus in Exile" by EZRocksAngel (I won a preview of a chap of this story in the Fandom Gives Back. Yay!). I just discovered the incomparable Ms. Halo Jones and I have been stalking her all over the fandom. If you know her, tell her I'm her newest crazy fangirl. ItzMegan73 was introduced to me by JennDay on an episode of Dancing With Jen and Tor, where JennDay also rec'd my story. Many of you in the fandom probably know EZRocksAngel and her beautiful lyrical stories. She was one of the first authors to give me a read and offer constructive criticism, for which I will forever be grateful. Go read these three stories, you won't regret it.**

**Look back in previous chapters for earlier recommendations. I still love all those stories, too.**

**Oh, and uh, please REVIEW, some of my faithful have fallen away. If you don't review I don't know whether you're still reading or enjoying, or if you think I've simply "Jumped The Shark." I need to know these things!**


	18. Ch 17 TLC:To Err Is HumanForgive Divine

**A/N: I know, I have kept you all waiting far too long for this update. Please forgive me. I hope this new chapter makes up for it. I think I missed the characters as much as you guys did. Thanks to the readers who were concerned enough to write and ask if I had lost my mind. LOL (Just kidding, but some did write to ask when I was updating). As Always, thanks to my beta team SSHG316, Charmie77, acireamos for beta'ing and helping me even when I'm pushy and asking them to work on my schedule. I also want to welcome SavageWoman to the beta team. She graciously offered to read for me while I was agonizing over this new chapter, and chomping at the bit to get it done. Also want to specially thank Charmie77 for helping me come up with a special ending, and Shug because I took her away from her family on a Friday night to help me finalize the chapter. They all challenge me in unique ways that encourage and inspire me. I am thankful for them because they don't sell me a bill of goods. They actually tell me like it is. And I like that.**

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

"**Forgiveness is the economy of the heart... forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits."**

**by Hannah Moore**

**"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the Strong."**

**by Mahatma Gandhi**

_**"If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you O Lord there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared."  
**_** -- Psalm 130:3-4**

**Chapter 17 - To Err Is Human To Forgive Is Divine**

**EPOV**

Edward rushed into his apartment, grabbed the lasagna he'd made before going to work out of the fridge, and popped it into the oven. He'd barely gotten over the threshold of his bedroom door before he began shucking his service belt and talkie, then his uniform, as he stepped purposefully into the shower. From rough calculations, he had about 25 minutes before Bella would be ringing his doorbell, and he wanted everything to be ready for their first dinner at his place.

As he scrubbed the grime of another workday spent in the stifling humidity in the Florida panhandle from his body, he ruminated on just how good life was for him at the moment. He was making headway in therapy for the first time in a long while. Work was extremely gratifying, good friendships were firm fixtures in his life, and he had finally found someone with whom he had shared everything about himself, and she didn't think he was the fucking psycho he believed himself to be. Surely she would have run in the other direction if she felt he was on par with a Norman Bates or Francis Dolarhyde.

Edward Cullen, Sr. and Elizabeth Masen Cullen were both several degrees of fucked up, but they had some fairly redeeming qualities and genetic characteristics that they'd passed on to him. Despite all the screwy religious dogma his mother tried to feed him in his formative years, he had inherited his musical ability, his wild red hair, and green eyes from her gene pool; things that women found appealing for reasons beyond his comprehension. Thankfully, she hadn't done the unthinkable, abhorrent things that Mrs. Bates and Mrs. Dolarhyde had done to their sons. If those things had transpired, he would have ended up squarely on the other side of law, most likely a raging serial killer instead of a frenzied commitment-phobe who happened to be a police officer. From Edward, Senior, he received his looks, his charm, his dogged pursuit of life in general, and his propensity for dabbling in the excesses of life.

His desire to be better than the example he was shown by his parents had caused his proverbial apple to fall far enough away from the tree that he was able to change. Joining the Marines had given him the discipline and fortitude he'd needed to become a man, and his feelings for Bella made him strive to become a more honorable one at that.

Edward had thought about his mother several times since he'd left Crawfordville when she'd made those malicious remarks about Bella's ethnicity. He was still pissed off with her about it, but couldn't help but wonder how she was fairing on her ankle, especially getting around in her car, should she need to. He had believed that she would call him when she needed to go to her appointments, but she stubbornly had not. Now he didn't feel like her predicament merited thought anymore. Clearly, she was holding to her faulty beliefs. The inroads they had made to restore their relationship had been lost with a few misspoken words. That, it seemed, was the story of his life. He would discuss that turn of events with Dr. Levy next time; because he had no fucking clue how to handle it.

Quickly dressing in a golf shirt and blue jean shorts, he dismissed thoughts of his mother and thought instead about his beautiful girlfriend who was coming for dinner. There was a woman he knew he could count on. She was stunningly beautiful, compassionate, kind, caring, secure in who she was, confident, and very accomplished. He would never have to worry that she would let him down, as she was so well-adjusted herself and in tune with others' feelings, that she was always going the extra mile to avoid hurting anyone. This humbled him, yet scared him to death because he didn't know yet if he was able to reciprocate fully.

His latest session with the heavy bag had dredged up some feelings about his dad and Marcus Volturi that had left his knuckles burning. He flatly refused to revisit the feelings he had about his mother's culpability in his upbringing merely because she was in closer proximity to him physically. And if he had to be around her at some point, he really didn't know if he was ready to deal with the feelings she was evoking in him right now, especially those that had to do with Bella. Truth be told, it disgusted him how cold and callous his mother could be over the color of someone's skin.

He put on "Moonlight," a CD filled with eleven of his favorite Beethoven piano pieces. He then set the table, lit some candles, and put the garlic bread in the oven. He removed the salad from the fridge, set it on the table, and took a nice Pinot Grigio off the wine rack, before searching for the corkscrew and a couple of wine glasses. There was a half-gallon of Bluebell Ice cream in the freezer for dessert, or they could substitute themselves for an even sweeter treat. He voted for the latter but would allow Bella to make the choice. The corkscrew was hiding in the dishwasher, and he was retrieving it when the doorbell rang. He ran his hand through his still rather damp hair as he went to get the door.

Bella had changed and was now wearing a blue halter, a white pair of mid-thigh shorts, and a smile just for him. She was gorgeous even dressed down. He gently pulled her into the room and pushed the door shut with his foot. "Hello, again," he murmured, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her soundly before she could reply.

"Well, hello there," Bella said breathlessly when they came up for air. "If this is the kind of greeting I'll get every time I see you, maybe I need to come by more often," she said emphasizing her words with a firm squeeze around his waist.

He squeezed back, reveling in the feel of having her in his arms. "That can be arranged," he said, kissing her again. Taking her hand and leading her to kitchen, he replied, "This is a bit of a late dinner for you, so let's do this."

"Yeah, fifteen minutes more and I would have come in the door biting your head off," Bella teased.

"You know, I have yet to see that full-on grumpy person who emerges when you're hungry or sleepy." Edward pulled out a chair from the table for her. "Sit here, mademoiselle. I'll bring in the bread and the main course." He moved into the kitchen to retrieve the bread and lasagna.

"Thank you," she offered in response to him holding her chair before she looked at him mischievously. "I've been keeping her under wraps. I can't go showing my bad side until my good side has you sufficiently charmed."

He glared playfully at her through the archway over the bar as he took the lasagna and bread out of the oven. "And here I thought you were guileless, the most pure and honest woman I've ever met." He carried the bread bowl and lasagna to the table and put them down in the center of it.

"Not all womanly charms are duplicitous, I'll have you know," she retorted lightheartedly. "How dare you insult my virtue!"

"I fantasize about doing a lot of things to your virtue, but insulting it isn't one of them." He smirked. "Now, assaulting might be a better word." He sat in a chair to her left and began serving lasagna on their plates.

Bella blushed profusely but didn't back down. "And this type of behavior from an officer of the law? I just might have to make a citizen's arrest."

"I have handcuffs on my service belt," he offered almost too eagerly.

Bella giggled. "I can see the headlines now: 'Tallahassee Police Officer Subdued in Own Handcuffs'."

He laughed. "The Tallahassee Democrat and all the local news affiliates would eat that up." He began pouring wine in their glasses.

"In a heartbeat," Bella agreed, taking a bite of her lasagna.

Edward watched for her reaction. "Oh my gosh, this is delicious," she said. "You've got some kind of secret ingredient in this. I can tell. Are you going to share?" The doorbell rang, and he looked at Bella quizzically.

"I wasn't expecting anyone else for dinner," he mused as he stood and moved toward the door. "Excuse me."

Edward wondered who it might be, and he crossed his fingers, hoping that it wasn't one of the residents with whom he'd had a previous hook-up. That would be awkward to say the least. He punked out and made a conscious decision not to look through the peephole. Opting to face whoever it was without warning, he flung the door open.

There stood Elizabeth Masen Cullen in the flesh, ankle still trussed up in her supportive boot and leaning on the crutches that had helped her propel herself to his door. She looked apologetic, but he wasn't buying her crow-eating act just yet. He wanted to close the door, but she looked so vulnerable standing there that he didn't have the heart to do it. Besides what kind of monster would he then look like to Bella?

"Mother," he grumbled tersely.

"Edward, I hope I'm not intruding. I wanted to talk to you, and I preferred it not be over the telephone," she began. She looked in and saw Bella at the table. "Oh, I've interrupted a dinner date, please forgive me."

He turned to look at Bella, his eyes silently questioning if it was all right. Although, he knew Bella would be fine with it. He would have been surprised if she were not.

Bella smiled and stood up. "Hello Mrs. Cullen. You're not imposing, really."

"Hello, Bella," Mrs. Cullen said warmly.

Edward took the crutches, helped his mother over the threshold, and closed the door. Bella took the crutches from his hand and stowed them in the corner as Edward helped his mother to the table and pulled out a chair for her.

"This is quite the surprise," Edward quipped. "We were about to eat a late dinner. Would you care for something to eat?" He held Bella's chair again as she sat, too.

"You've made my mother's lasagna," Elizabeth gushed, her green eyes twinkling. "I really shouldn't eat this late, but it smells heavenly. I think I will have some." She looked at Bella, smiling as if they were old friends. "Bella, this is the only recipe my son has ever asked me for. It has always been his favorite." Edward went into the kitchen and got another place setting for his mother, resigned to the fact that she really _was_ crashing his date.

"I was just asking him what the secret ingredient was in it. It is absolutely delicious," Bella admitted to his mother. She then looked up at Edward who was quietly setting dishes and silverware in front of his mother. "I think he was planning on holding out on me."

Edward tried to smile but it felt stilted, and he knew it probably didn't reach his eyes. This was beyond fucked up. Since when did Elizabeth Masen Cullen just drive up and drop in on him unannounced? Now she was sitting there having a conversation with his girlfriend like this was a common occurrence.

"The secret is a layer of walnut and spinach pesto, and another layer of crushed olives and artichoke hearts," Elizabeth stage-whispered conspiratorially. Edward served his mother a helping of lasagna and salad before taking his seat.

"I'll have to remember that next time I'm making lasagna," Bella said.

"Oh no," Elizabeth laughed. "Let Edward make it for you as long as he's willing. I say let men do whatever they have the skill and spirit for doing. If you get too good at, he may never make it for you again."

Edward cut a piece of lasagna with his fork and stabbed it as if it offended him.

"That is great advice," Bella declared. "And I took you to be an old school, Proverbs 31 woman, Mrs. Cullen, but I see you're definitely a progressive."

"God desires us to be meek, not weak," Elizabeth joked with an impish grin. Edward looked like he wanted to punch something.

Bella laughed heartily. When she saw the look on Edward's face, she stopped abruptly and struggled to look as impassive as she could, but her shoulders continued to shake. Edward couldn't help it, seeing Bella in such obvious discomfort, torn between laughing at his mother's tepid joke or being loyal to him and not getting on with his mother so famously, he began to laugh, too.

Having broken the figurative ice, they had a surprisingly pleasant meal together. Elizabeth got her opportunity to grill Bella about the Center after all. Bella answered every question she posed, and his mother seemed genuinely impressed. Elizabeth even talked to Bella about her father's church and promised to visit. That conversation made Edward just a bit uneasy because he just knew the next suggestion would be that Bella invite him, too. However, his mother surprised him, yet again. She moved on to ask Bella about her vision for the Center in the future, and Bella told her about her dream of having a gym so the children could get exercise as well as tutoring. Edward was still curious about what had precipitated the visit, but for the time being, he was just happy his mother hadn't embarrassed him in front of Bella. When they finished eating, Bella stood to help him clear the table.

"I'll get it, ba—Bella," Edward said, but Bella continued carrying dishes into the kitchen. He followed close behind her with a stack of his own.

"I really should probably go now, so you and your mother can talk," Bella whispered, setting the dishes in the sink.

"No, please don't leave," he whispered back. "Either she'll talk with you here, or we'll talk later."

Elizabeth cleared her throat and yelled loudly, "You know, I really should be getting home. Edward, would you mind terribly helping me to my car?"

Edward and Bella looked at each other and then at Elizabeth. "I've crashed your date long enough, don't you think?" Elizabeth asked with a smile.

Bella smiled, and Edward moved automatically toward his mother.

"Sure," he said, holding the chair and helping her from her seat. He looked to Bella who busied herself rinsing dishes and loading the dishwasher. "I'll be right back. Bella, please leave the dishes; I'll take care of that later." Retrieving the crutches from the corner, Edward supported his mother on one side while she wielded one crutch on the other.

Bella turned off the water and joined them in the living room. Elizabeth approached Bella on her solitary crutch. "It was a pleasure talking to you, Bella," Elizabeth said. "And I really would love to have you both out for dinner at the house sometime soon. Work on this one, will you?" She gestured toward her son.

"It was nice seeing you again too, Mrs. Cullen," Bella returned. "I'll do my best."

Then his mother did the damnedest thing—she actually hugged Bella. Was this the same woman who had spoken rather disparagingly of her colorful lineage? Edward couldn't wait now to see what had precipitated this drastic change of heart. Elizabeth took his arm again before they exited his apartment and headed for her car, which was conveniently parked next to his cruiser.

"Edward," Elizabeth chided lightly, "Bella really is a delightful young woman and a marked improvement over the type of girl you usually date."

Edward stopped on the sidewalk before they stepped off the curb, his brow knitted in frustrated confusion. "That's in stark contrast to what you had to say about her several days ago, mother. Why the about-face?"

Elizabeth looked embarrassed. "I had a heart-to-heart talk with my therapist. She made me see the error of my ways, so to speak."

"Is that right?" Edward surmised sarcastically.

"Son, I really am sorry about what I said. Even more so now, after talking to Carlisle and Esme before I dropped by here tonight. Their take on things lined right up with my therapist's. The Church of the Greater Son had it all wrong. They took Scripture out of context, and I didn't have the knowledge or the wherewithal to contradict Aro and his teachings," Elizabeth said, her green eyes moist and sincere.

"Maybe you should have said all this to Bella," Edward countered coolly. "I'm sure she would have appreciated an apology, as well."

"Oh no, Edward. You told her what I said?" Elizabeth looked aghast. "She must think I'm an awful woman."

"That's the wonderful thing about Bella, Mother—she is very forgiving person, warts and all," he said proudly.

"Then I will try not to worry that she will judge me harshly. Please offer my sincerest apology to her. I would go back in and do it myself, but I've taken up enough of your date time already."

They walked in silence to her car. Edward took the keys and opened the door for her. When she was settled in, she looked up at him. "You have turned out to be a good man in spite of your father's and my failed attempts at raising you, Edward. You would do well to hold on to that girl in there. She has something that you need, and once you've taken hold of it, you will be complete."

So now his mother had gone to speaking in parables. He was not going to ask her what she meant by those cryptic words, because Bella was waiting for him. And that answer might turn into a treatise on existentialism or some shit.

"That is my plan—for as long as she'll have me," he answered. "Goodnight, Mother."

"Goodnight, son," she said and closed her door.

While he helped his mother into her car, he thought he saw someone sitting in a vehicle parked about fifty yards away watching them. When his mother began to pull away, he walked toward the car in an effort to get a better look, but whoever it was, they pulled away before he walked fifteen feet. The car was gold, but he wasn't able to get a make or model and it was too dark to get a license plate number. He would make sure to check the parking lot before Bella left and maybe follow her to her place, just to be safe.

~888~

When Edward returned to his apartment, he found Bella lounging on the sofa and reading a book as she listened to "The Evolution Robin of Thicke" on his stereo. She smiled up at him briefly as he entered the room and kept reading. As he slid next to her and wound his arms around her, she caressed his thigh with her left hand, but kept her eyes glued to the page. That was not the right move if she wanted to continue reading. He kissed her temple, and she patted his thigh again absentmindedly.

"Let me just finish this paragraph." She sighed dreamily, scooting closer to him.

He nuzzled her cheek, around her ear, and then her neck.

"Ugh," she grumbled in mock exasperation. She put the book down on the table and gave him better access to her neck. "I can't concentrate now anyway."

He kissed a trail along her neck until he got to her throbbing pulse point and sucked it gently into his mouth. She moaned appreciatively and asked, "Is this dessert?"

He straightened up, smiling sheepishly. "Oh, right—um, there's some Blue Bell ice cream in the freezer, or we can continue. You decide."

Bella took his hand. "I'll take you over Blue Bell ice cream any day, but I wanted to know first—is everything all right with you and your mom now?"

"As right as it can be, I suppose," he replied.. "She apologized for the remarks she made last weekend, and she asked me to be sure to apologize for her."

"You told _her_ that you told _me _about that?" Bella asked incredulously.

"And she was just as surprised about it as you are."

"It's just that I wouldn't want her to think that I didn't honestly enjoy talking to her tonight." Bella chewed on her lip nervously.

"You know, she was afraid that you would think she was an awful woman. But I assured her that you weren't someone to hold a grudge."

"You must have been very persuasive to get her to see your point of view," Bella purred, winding her arms around his neck.

Edward slid his arms around her waist and kissed her softly on the lips. "Well, actually, she had a conversation with her therapist and then Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme."

"So, she's not afraid anymore that my tainted gene pool might contaminate the Cullen bloodline?" Bella quipped.

"Actually, I think she's convinced now that you have something that I need, and I think she might be right." He kissed her again, deeper this time, and they got lost in each other while Robin Thicke serenaded them in the background: _I'm lost without you. Can't help myself. How does it feel to know that I love you, baby._

**BPOV **

The City of Hope Community Year-End Festival took place on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning. Bella, the volunteers, their partner churches, the residents, and people in the community all converged on the Center grounds to close the school year out for the community's children. There were blow-up bouncers, game booths, community organizations handing out information pamphlets and freebies, food vendors giving out free goodies, and a central entertainment stage with a DJ.

The week had gone by quickly due mostly to all the preparations for the festival. Even as busy as she'd been, she'd missed Edward. After their eventful dinner on Wednesday night with Edward's mother, which had ended again with a hot and heavy make-out session, both their weeks had gotten too crazy for them to eke out any time alone together. They had been together every day at work, of course, and all of Friday, but not really together, because all the volunteers were around as they made the final preparations for the festival.

Finishing up shortly after eleven pm on Friday night, they each had gone to their respective homes for the evening. Bella had noticed a light colored vehicle in the farthest corner of the Center's parking lot on Friday night, and she couldn't be sure, but thought she saw it again on her drive home, as well. She'd thought perhaps she had been seeing things from exhaustion. Just to be safe, she'd run up the stairs into her apartment, bolted the door, and checked all the windows, after which she'd fallen into bed and slept like a log, only to return to the Center at eight am the following morning to set up for the actual event.

While practicing her spiel for the welcome in her office, Bella saw Edward enter the Center through the main door. He carried some items into the common room for Alice as she flitted happily behind him. He'd opted not to wear his uniform, but was looking great in a white Polo shirt, blue and white plaid shorts, and a pair of navy top-siders with no socks. Bella had to admit, her man had great genes. She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts and walked into the common room to get the wireless microphone she would need to use during the program.

"Hey, everybody, listen up," she addressed all the volunteers at once as she checked the mic for batteries. "We will be starting the program portion of our day in about fifteen minutes. The Mayor, Captain Black, and a couple of commissioners are planning to attend today. Please man your areas and make sure that the temporary volunteers change out smoothly. We should have plenty of everything to go around, but make sure all the children from this community get goody bags before they leave, okay?"

They all answered back with the expected yeses, okays, and all rights. Edward smiled and winked. Bella, trying to keep a professional demeanor in front of the volunteers, ducked back into her office to hide the goofy grin on her face. She gathered the gift cards to give away during the day's activities. As she placed these into a festively decorated basket, Edward sauntered into her office.

"Captain Black has two units patrolling today and several off-duty cops on foot, so security's good, Ms. Swan," he said, adopting his all business facade.

"That's great," Bella praised. "Wish we could've gotten the city to pay you guys for the hours you're working today," she said with a frown.

"I'm sure the guys don't mind," he asserted loudly. Then for her ears only, he whispered huskily, "Paid or not, nothing could keep me away from you on this or any other day." His eyes made a hungry sweep of her form.

"Careful, _Officer _Cullen," she whispered back, her eyes narrowed appraisingly. "You keep looking at me like that, and I might have to go into attack mode."

"I haven't had you in my arms since Wednesday night; if you go into attack mode we won't be able to leave this room for a while." Green eyes smoldering, he gave her a sexy smile before he continued. "Anyway, I promised the kids I would be here so they could make fun of me in regular clothes, beat me at a few games, and show me how to do the 'cha-cha' slide."

"You've got quite a few promises to fulfill there, mister. Good luck."

"And one more thing." Edward paused for effect. "You have to sing for them and do the 'cha cha' slide with us too."

"Edward!" She couldn't believe he had involved her in the children's shenanigans. "Oh, well, not at the same time, right?" Then she thought again about what he was planning to do. "_You_ are going to do the 'cha-cha' slide?"

"The kids say it's easy." He seemed really confident. "From the way they described it, it's kind of like country line dancing, am I right?"

Rolling her eyes heavenward and shaking her head, Bella picked up her basket and headed for the door. "We'll see."

~888~

Bella visited all the booths, greeting the volunteers and the children from the Center she encountered on the way. Some had been able to drag their parents along, but others had come alone and were braving all the activities on their own. Unfortunately, this was a reality for many of the children every day: no parental involvement. When Bella returned to the Center's booth near the stage, she saw that Mayor Barksdale had arrived and was talking to Captain Black and her father. True to his word, Edward was on the dance floor with Angela, Jacob, Alice, and some of the children doing the "cha-cha" slide, and holding his own rather nicely. When he saw Bella, he stopped and crooked his index finger in a "come hither" motion. Bella grinned, vigorously shook her head in the negative, and walked quickly over to greet Mayor Barksdale. She reached out to shake his hand, but he stood there looking at her, arms akimbo in mock exasperation and pursed his lips.

"I was there when you were just a gleam in your Daddy's eye, young lady. I know I deserve more than a tired old handshake!" He held his arms open, and Bella hugged this man who was more like an uncle to her than his honor, the Mayor of Tallahassee.

"Good to see you, Mr. Mayor."

He smiled. "Marva and I were just saying Sunday when you sang that solo at church how much we wished we had a son your age." Mayor Barksdale and his wife had two grown daughters who were living in the DC area.

"Shannon and Rachel aren't any closer to making you a father-in-law?" Bella asked in mock horror.

"As a matter of fact, Rachel just got engaged a few weeks ago to some hot shot Lobbyist on the hill, and Shannon is fit to be tied because her little sister is getting married first." He said this like it was a complaint, but Bella could tell he was very proud.

"Well, I can totally identify with Shannon. I think Angela, my surrogate sister, will be getting married before I do, right, Dad?"

"Yep, and I can't wait to give him the third degree," Charlie said mischievously.

"You gotta give it to Ben, he's a young man who knows what he wants." Captain Black grimaced. "Jacob hasn't dated a nice girl since he took you out last year, Bella. You didn't break my poor boy's heart, did you?"

"Not that I recall," she teased lightly. "I just don't think I was his type." It was clearly time for her to escape. Jacob's inability to find a girl to date was not a conversation she wanted to have with Captain Black.

Bella excused herself and made another couple of rounds through the crowd, ensuring that everyone was getting the full benefit of the event. She found Angela and Jacob on the dance floor when she returned and joined them there. Out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw Alice and Edward join a group of the children from the Center on the dance floor, but she continued dancing with Angela, sharing Jacob. Then something unexpected happened. A rather uncouth, somewhat familiar-looking guy danced over to Bella and joined them on the floor. He had dreds that almost touched his waist and wore a white, wifebeater t-shirt and the trademark baggy jeans with boxers peeking out at the waist of his sagging pants. Both his muscled arms were covered in a full sleeve of tattoos. Bella decided it was okay to dance with this stranger through a fast song, so she continued to move with the music. He leaned over to speak to her.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

Bella kept moving to the music. "No, should I?"

"I'm Laurent," he said with a gold, toothy smile.

"Laurent Beauvoir?" The dreds and that fact that he had gained probably fifty pounds of muscle since she'd last seen him, adorned himself with tattoos, and grown a mustache were probably the reasons why she hadn't recognized him right away. He also wore what looked to be diamonds in his ears, gold chains around his neck, and rings on several fingers of his hands. His personal style and all the "bling bling" did not impress her.

"One and the same, baby." He did a rather flamboyant dance move and smiled as the smile on Bella's face faded.

She was annoyed. "I am not your baby, Laurent."

"But we can change that, can't we?"

Bella ignored him and continued to dance, remembering what a troubled child he had been. Laurent Beauvoir had been the poster child for at-risk youth when they were growing up. His father had been a heroin addict, and his mother had sought refuge at City of Hope Church when her husband died from an overdose. They remained members of the church for several years; long enough for Laurent to fancy that he liked Bella as a girlfriend.

Rev. Charlie Swan was nothing if not a man who didn't tolerate children growing up before their time. Laurent and his mother had a hard life, and though Charlie had wanted to help them, he didn't want his child falling prey to the same temptations. He had overheard Laurent declaring his love for Bella at a church picnic when they were in the second semester of sixth grade.

Her father had been firm and very clear. "Young man, you don't know what romantic love is yet. You are a child. Bella is a child. You would be better served to get a good education and help take care of your mama, boy!"

Bella had been thankful for her father's intervention, but Laurent thought that her father had been making sure that she was never in a social situation with him again. Laurent had accosted Bella at school a couple of days later and sneered, "I know your daddy don't like me!" However, Bella had pulled away from Laurent on her own because he was so intense, even as a little boy, and frankly, he had scared her. She'd received a scholarship to McClay, a northside prep school when she entered High School, so she had never seen Laurent again after that. Later, she'd heard that his grandmother moved him away to Miami when it was whispered that Laurent's mother was dying of AIDS. Bella had prayed for that family so much in those days. She had been taught by her parents to love unconditionally, but they didn't raise a fool. She was an impeccable judge of character and was not attracted to "bad boys," even those who had the potential to be.

She changed the subject. "So what brings you back to Tallahassee, Laurent?" She was well aware of the activities he had been up to since he had been back.

"'Business," he smirked, showing his glittering gold grill. "I sell a valuable product to a select clientele. I have about fifteen salesmen working for me."

"Impressive." Bella's tone was sarcastic. She didn't need to guess what the valuable product was.

"I saw your pops here earlier," he said. "Is he still trying to keep you on lockdown from certain people?"

"We're not children anymore, Laurent. And my dad never kept me on lockdown, even when I was a child."

"So, I guess you free to date who you want to, now that you all grown up and everything?"

"Yes, I am. And I'm already dating someone at the moment, so—" Bella didn't feel the need to justify her choices to him. She willed the song to end, quickly. It wasn't ending fast enough, in her opinion.

Laurent tried again. "So, they havin' this sick party over at The Moon tonight, right. Make Laurent a happy man by lettin' him escort the most beautiful girl there tonight as friends."

Bella wanted to gag when he began referring to himself in third person. She made an immediate excuse. "Sorry. This event isn't going to clean itself up. I'm here 'til late."

The song ended, but the DJ immediately played a slow song. Bella decided to beat a hasty retreat.

Laurent grabbed her hand before she could get clear of him. 'Come on now, girl. You can at least take this slow one with me, since you won't go out with me tonight."

Bella slid her hand out of his and began to walk away again. "Sorry, I've got to prepare for another raffle announcement. You have a good time, okay."

He grabbed her arm and held it tight, his hot, putrid breath burning her ear. "So, you still think you too good for a brother, huh?"

Bella was appalled at his forwardness but didn't want to make a scene, so she didn't protest loudly. In the calmest voice she could muster, she said, "Laurent, let go of my arm."

"I'll let go after we take this last dance together," he smiled and pulled her roughly toward him.

"Laurent," Bella said a little more forcefully. "Let me go."

"Aw, come on now, Bella." He held both her arms tightly and wouldn't release her, gazing mockingly into her eyes. His breath smelled like cigarette butts and stale beer. His clothes and hair reeked of marijuana.

"No. Laurent, I said no." Bella was beginning to panic.

Never had she felt such relief as when she heard Edward's voice, rough and venomous though it was. "Let. Her. Go," Edward growled through clenched teeth. He grabbed Laurent in a reverse half-nelson until he released her. When Edward saw that Bella was free, he relaxed his grip. Laurent pulled away roughly, and Edward stepped between him and Bella.

"If I were you, I'd listen the next time a lady says no, especially if you like having the use of all your limbs." Edward's green eyes were lethal.

Laurent sneered. "So, y'all got a little 'jungle fever' thang going on, huh? I knew you and yo' family liked white bread when they sent you to that fancy school out north."

Edward pushed right up to Laurent and looked directly into his eyes. His tone was positively vitriolic. "Why are you still talking, punk?"

Laurent returned Edward's stare with the most vicious one he could muster. The tension between them was palpable.

After they engaged in a stare-down for a few seconds, Laurent capitulated with a derisive laugh. Then, in a foolhardily move, he tried to use the element of surprise to throw a sucker punch at Edward. Edward maneuvered away from the ill-thrown punch. People on the dance floor scattered, and the DJ stopped the music and began paging TPD. Bella was stunned and unable to move. Edward launched himself at Laurent, hitting him square in the mouth and landing a textbook right hook. Laurent staggered backward and fell into the waiting hands of Officer Clearwater and Captain Black, who locked Laurent's arms behind him and had him in cuffs before anyone could blink. Laurent's lip was swelling fast and bleeding all over his white wifebeater and expensive gold "bling bling." Officer Clearwater led him away to his squad car, reading him his rights, with Laurent hurling epithets all the way.

Captain Black patted Edward's shoulder. "Good looking out, Officer Cullen. That is the infamous Laurent Beauvoir. We want him on drug trafficking, but we'll take him for assault on a law enforcement officer and see if that sticks." With that, Captain Black left, following close behind Officer Clearwater and his prisoner.

Edward's eyes sought Bella's anxiously. "Are you okay?" He examined her arms where Laurent's grip had spawned angry red bruises.

Edward scowled. "Damn, I should have gotten to you sooner. He could have really hurt you."

"I-I'm alright," she stammered, smiling appreciatively up into his green eyes. She was shaken by the incident but not physically hurt.

Angela and Jacob rushed over to them. "What was that all about?" Angela demanded.

"Laurent Beauvoir being the same troublemaker he's always been, I'll bet." Jacob said before Bella could answer.

"Is that the dude your dad called out for having a crush on you in middle school, Bella?" Angela asked.

"Y-yeah, that was him." Bella hadn't been aware that she was shaking physically until she tried to talk again. "Ange, Jake, please get the DJ to start the music again and let the kids know they can continue to dance and have fun."

They nodded and left her with Edward.

""You need a break," he ordered. "You've been going non-stop all morning and afternoon. The volunteers will make sure everything keeps going for fifteen minutes." Edward wrapped his arm around her and began steering her toward the Center and the solitude of her office. Bella, it seemed, did not have the energy or the inclination to fight. She was exhausted. Edward took her keys and was about to open the door when her dad ran up to them.

"Bella!" Charlie was frantic. "Are you okay?"

Charlie cupped her cheeks and examined her face. Then his eyes found the bruises on her arms. "Did Beauvoir do this to you?"

"It looks worst than it really is, Dad," Bella soothed.

"I took care of him, Rev. Swan," Edward admitted without remorse. "He'll need to see a dentist when he gets out of jail."

"Thanks again, Officer Cullen." Charlie reached out to shake Edward's hand. "I've never been so glad to have a good liaison on board here at the Center. You do us proud, son."

"You're welcome," Edward said, accepting Charlie's hand. "I thought it might be a good idea for Bella to take a break for a while."

"Not for long," Bella piped up. "Who's going to do the raffles?"

"I can do that," Charlie offered.

"And I need to see the children off at the end of the festival and make sure the goody bags are distributed." Bella glanced anxiously between her dad and Edward. "Which is about an hour away."

Edward shook his head. "Alice and Sean can do that."

"And you really don't need to supervise everything personally, Bells," Charlie reminded her. "Take a breather. That's an order. I am technically your supervisor."

Bella finally capitulated, and Edward breathed a sigh of relief.

~888~

**EPOV**

Placing his hand firmly in the small of Bella's back, Edward escorted her into her office, locking the door behind them. She made a beeline for the leather bench against the wall where she spread a throw over it and lay down. He got two bottles of water out of the fridge in the common room and brought them back into her office. Bella sat up when he reentered the room. Pulling a chair up next to her, he opened one of the bottles and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She sighed tiredly. "I just realized how thirsty I am." She took a big gulp of water and smiled wanly.

"Is this the first water you've had all day?" he asked suspiciously. It wouldn't surprise him if it was if the work ethic she'd kept up all week were any indication. She had worked tirelessly, above and beyond the call of duty, to make sure this event went off without a hitch. They had all worked, but Bella had been like an Alice clone on steroids by the end of the week. And rightfully so. This event was her brainchild and the culmination of the Center's year. He opened his own bottle and drank almost half in one swallow.

"I had lemonade earlier," she replied and took another long drink.

"You need to take better care of yourself, especially when you work as hard as you have the last month. Staying hydrated in this sweltering heat is important," he scolded good-naturedly. He recapped his water bottle and set it on the floor.

"You're right," she finally admitted. "I just get so caught up in doing things for the kids and the Center, I forget."

Edward was not surprised. Now that he knew how vulnerable she was, he was glad to be around and available to keep her protected and safe. Since the beginning, when he found out she was working in a place where unlawful activities took place on a daily basis, he had been concerned that a woman who looked like her, and Alice, for that matter, were targets for being harassed by self-proclaimed thugs and small-time gangsters who lived in and around the neighborhood. Now a former classmate of hers, who just happened to be a drug dealer, had assaulted Bella. Edward knew he was going to need to be up on his game so he could keep her safe. Laurent Beauvoir was a slippery bastard with a savvy lawyer who made sure he escaped virtually unscathed from all his run-ins with the law. Edward had little hope that the charges they threw at him would stick. He needed to protect Bella, and he would do whatever was necessary to do so. He would begin making plans, he decided, after she fell asleep.

"I won't let you forget again, if I can help it," he said, caressing her cheek gently. "Why don't you try to get some rest?"

"I don't know..." she began, setting her now empty water bottle on the floor.

"I promise to wake you up just before everything is over," he coaxed.

"But—"

He took both her hands in his. "And I'll stay here while you're sleeping."

"Okay," she acquiesced. Then her eyes lit up. "Will you play for me until I fall asleep?

"All right." He released her hands and moved toward the door to the common area. "Any requests?"

"_Claire de Lune_." She stifled a yawn as she lay down on the bench. "And your choice after that."

Edward rolled the piano as close to the door to Bella's office as he could, angling the piano bench so that it allowed him to keep an eye on her while he was playing. The hit Edward landed to Beauvoir had caused his knuckles on his right hand to swell slightly, but he played through the pain. Halfway through _Claire de Lune_, Bella fell asleep lying on her side with her knees slightly bent and using her hands as a pillow. Her coal black lashes fanned out over her cheeks. He then played the _Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise,_ and_ Pathetique Sonata - Adagio Cantabile_, just for good measure and because he was pleased to be playing again for the first time since the concert.

While the music flowed beneath his fingers, he thought about ways that he could protect Bella even when he couldn't be around her. Today's scare with Laurent Beauvoir had him so keyed up, he wanted to volunteer as her own personal bodyguard, but he knew Bella would balk at that idea. They were a couple of weeks into their relationship and he wanted to move in? He figured that would go over like a lead balloon. He decided that even though her apartment was on the second floor, she could still benefit from an alarm system. She could also keep pepper spray or a taser on her person at all times, just in case someone threatened her when she wasn't at home. This was the first line of defense he would suggest to her. Maybe he could get the reverend on board, too. That might make it easier to convince Bella that she needed to take precautions.

She slept so peacefully; he hated to wake her up but knew that if he didn't, she would be disappointed about missing the end of the festival. Not wanting to wake her before it was absolutely necessary, he quietly rolled the piano back into the corner in the common room and then went back into her office where she lay on the bench. He kneeled down so she wouldn't have to strain to look up so far, then he gently caressed her arm.

"Bella," he whispered. "Time to wake up, sweetheart."

She smiled before opening her eyes. "I wish I had an alarm like this all the time," she murmured sleepily. Her eyes fluttered open, and her beautiful brown orbs smiled up at him, too.

"I'm available to you in any capacity you desire, Ms. Swan," he said with a smirk.

She moved to get up, and Edward helped her to sit up.

"I might take you up on that, Officer Cullen," she teased.

His eyes went immediately to the bruises on her arms, and he got angry all over again. "I should've done more than loosen a couple of Beauvoir's teeth."

She examined the bruises on her arms again. "They'll fade in a couple of days," she insisted. "I haven't thanked you properly for getting me out of that sticky situation."

Bella stood up and stepped into his waiting arms, her small arms squeezing as tightly as they could.

"Let me freshen up just a bit," she said as she moved to her desk. Taking out the toothbrush she kept there, she retreated into the tiny bathroom just off her office.

She left the door open, and over the din of running water, Edward began his quest to convince her to accept his protection.

"Bella, this thing with Beauvoir got me to thinking about you and Alice and all the women's safety here at the Center," he began. "I think we need to talk about taking some precautions while you're here and to institute some safety measures in your homes."

She peeked out the door at him. "You really think that's necessary? We've always tried to be safe by arriving around the same time and leaving together. There haven't been any problems for a year. That thing with Laurent was probably a coincidence. He's apparently just come back to Tallahassee to expand his drug business."

Moving back to the sink, she took a cup and held it under the running water.

Edward tried another tact. "There was a car outside the apartment the other night when my mother stopped by unannounced," he said. "That's why I insisted on following you home. It makes me wonder if Beauvoir was stalking you before today."

Bella turned off the water and came out of the bathroom. She looked like she was deep in thought.

"What?" he asked.

"There was a car outside the Center last night in a darkened corner of the lot when we left," she answered. "I think I saw the same one on Blairstone on my way home, but I was so tired. When I got to my apartment, I ran up the stairs and bolted the door. I also checked all the windows and made sure they were secure. I am the daughter of an ex-cop, so I know a little bit about safety."

"Even so, I think we need to take some extra precautions where you're concerned right now. Beauvoir probably already has a lawyer springing him as we speak." He looked grim. "Bella, you probably shouldn't stay in your apartment alone tonight. Maybe not for the next couple of nights, until we can get an alarm installed there and get all the women at the Center some pepper spray or tasers to keep on you at all times."

She walked over to him and wound her arms around his waist. "Aw, sheriff," she teased. "Why don't you just deputize all of us and give us six shooters or something. Really, baby, I don't think it's that serious."

"I'd rather be safe than sorry, and I will not take any chances with your safety, Bella. Humor me," he pleaded.

Her brown eyes softened. "Okay, but I'd rather have pepper spray than a taser. Those things can accidentally kill people. Remember that young boy at boot camp? Oh, you were probably in Terre Haute when that happened."

"Seth told me something about that. Okay, pepper spray it is then." It surprised Edward at how relatively painless that had been.

"Now that this safety stuff is out of the way, can you just kiss me already?" She tipped her head back, and he descended on her lips like a man dying of thirst in the desert. Their tongues wrestled in a deep, no-holds-barred kiss that made him go mindless and hard. She tasted of a hint of sweet minty toothpaste and fresh and natural Bella, which he found incredibly sexy. He had to struggle to remember his Taps trick, and when he finally broke the kiss, they were both breathing like they needed to be hooked to an oxygen tank.

Recovering first, Edward began to ask the question that begged to be answered immediately. "Now, about where you're going to be staying...."

~888~

**E/N: Stories I have been enamored with lately:** **"Ithaca Is Gorges" by Gisellelx; "Counterpoint" by Sleepyvalentina; and "Breaking News" by WriteOnTime.** _**Ithaca Is Gorges**_ is a beautiful complete story which accounts for the time that Edward and his family left Bella in Forks in New Moon and picks back up where they return. It is told in both Carlisle and Edward's points of view and is a moving story of the effects a son's choice has on himself, his father and his entire family. _**Counterpoint**_is Edward's point of view of the story that the fandom fell in love with in _**Art After Five**_however it does not in any way regurgitate everything that occurred in AA5 and shares more of the story than AA5. Edward is sixteen year old a genius who falls love with a more mature Bella, whom he meets at an Art Museum. It is authentic and beautifully written as is all of Sleepyval's work. _**Breaking News**_ is the story of two network news anchors who are equally brilliant in their areas of expertise, but who get off on the wrong foot. They work through their dislike for one another which is fueled, they eventually discover, by a volatile chemisty that they haven't identified or admitted to, yet. What I find so engaging about WriteOnTime and her stories is they are exceptionally well-written, and she has a true penchant for humor. I'm not talking weak giggles here, but most often, huge belly laughs. Just like in _**The Port Angeles Players**_, her Breaking News characters spew out one-liners and sound bites that keep you entertained from beginning to end.

**God Bless Haiti: I am submitting something for MsKathy's Haiti fic compilation. If you donate an organization helping out during this disaster and send her the receipt, she'll send you a compilation document of stories gathered to support this cause. You can help the survivors of Haiti's devastating earthquake and enjoy some stories by going to this link: mskathyff(dot)blogspot(dot)com/2010/01/haiti(dot)html**

**I have written a Gift Exchange Fic, which stole my heart for a time from TLC, which will be posted at the Twilight Gift Exchange. Check it out here: http: // community dot livejournal dot com / twi_exchange /** **They will be anonymous for a while, so you'll have to guess which one is mine. Ha!**

**Also, if you haven't already done so, go nominate some of the little known fics you love in the Indie Twific Awards: indietwificawards dot com**


	19. Ch 18 TLC: Someone Stop The World

**A/N: Every time I get my groove on real life gets funky. One of the things I love about the people I count amongst my friends in the fandom is their capacity for caring and their encouragement of me even when real life is raging like mad. As Always, thanks to my best fandom friends, my beta team SSHG316, Charmie77, acireamos and Savage Woman for beta'ing and helping to make TLC the best it can be. I also want to thank Anythingzombie for pre-reading for me and giving me a younger woman's POV on the subject matter of this chapter. Thank you all for continuing to challenge me in various ways that blesses and inspire me. **

**I have Gift Fic completed which appeared on The Twilight Gift Exchange last week. Go check it out. For web address and more info see below.**

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**STOP THE WORLD**

**By Maxwell**

**Someone stop the world, yeah  
Seems like the moment has come and I'm gonna get you girl  
The shadows are forming across your parts the vision looks absurd  
No one around to interrupt the feelings you stir babe**

****

Imagine if it was, if this was you, if this was I  
So perfectly designed to be here all night  
Let the world rage outside, cause when I'm here with you  
The world stops for me, the world stops for me

And then extraordinary, ordinary things  
Things I can't explain, with subtext, the world stops for me  
And girl you know just what I mean, I need you girl...  
Sing me a song, sing it soft, sing it long, girl stop my world, oh

We about to stop the world tonight  
We're about to love we ain't got no worries no battles  
I'm gonna be with my girl tonight

**You are my own, yeah  
We about to stop the world tonight  
Make yourself at home  
I'm gonna be with my girl tonight  
And lay here all night long  
We about to stop the world tonight  
Oh yeah**

**"The earth trembles at his presence, the **_**world**_** and all who live in it."  
****--Nahum 1:5b NIV**

Chapter 18 - Someone Stop The World

BPOV

"Now, about where you're going to be staying, can we discuss that for just a second?" Edward asked softly. His green eyes were still smoldering from that soul-stealing kiss he'd just laid on Bella. For a few seconds she felt incapable of a response because he was idly caressing her back, sending mini shock-waves through every nerve his hands came in contact with. She tried not to react to his knowing touch, but her traitorous body was already doing so. Her ability to speak was still severely impaired.

"Um." She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, shook herself mentally, and began again. "Sure. Tell me again why I can't stay in my apartment?"

"Your place would be the first place someone would look, and until an alarm is installed, hopefully right after the holiday; I won't feel comfortable with you being there alone." Edward moved his hands under the curtain of her hair, his thumbs massaging at the base of her neck.

"Ooh, ah—neither do I, if you put it like that. Well, I could stay at my parents," she mused, fisting her hands in his shirt involuntarily as his thumbs continued loosening the tightness and stress in her neck. Thinking finally of the idea of staying at her parents' home, Bella got a vivid visual of her dad sitting in the den waiting up for her just as he had done all the years she'd lived there. That was not something she wanted to relive as a young adult. She was also not ready for the barrage of questions he would inevitably have if she had Edward coming by multiple times while she was staying there. "But I don't want to bother them with my comings and goings at odd hours, and it's a holiday weekend. I could bunk at Angela's or Alice and Jasper's—"

"Or with me," Edward interjected calmly. His hands migrated to her shoulders, and he kneaded the muscles there as he set about convincing her that his was the best option. "It's perfect because I have an alarm system in my apartment, and if you're not going to stay with your dad, who has police training, then I am your next best option. I mean, I love Jasper, but he's a youth pastor for goodness sake. I know you and Angela would give your lives for one another, but I prefer it not be on my watch or at all, for that matter."

It took Bella a few seconds to grasp what he was saying. Had he actually just offered her the option of staying at his place? This was not something she would have expected at this stage in their relationship, but the means justified the end, or was it the other way around? She absolutely could not think straight. All she had to do was say yes, and she would be having a sleepover with her extremely gorgeous boyfriend. This was a milestone that she hadn't seen happening for months or, at the very least, several more weeks.

Who was she kidding? She had no frame of reference for this. It had never been an option in any other relationship she'd ever been in. Her father had drummed that whole "shun the very appearance of evil" thing into her brain. But this situation was different. She was emotionally invested in Edward in a way that she had never been with anyone else. He was someone that she could see herself falling in love with very easily, and perhaps she was already more than halfway there. Not to mention the fact that his touch sent her to the moon and back frequently. It occurred to her that this was something he had done before, numerous times, and here she was quibbling over it in her head like a teenager.

"I promise," he said raising his right hand as if he were being sworn in. "I'll be the perfect gentleman. You can have my bed. I'll take the couch."

Bella smiled, hastening to reassure him. "I wasn't hesitating because of that. I was just thinking I'll need to run by and pick up a few things, okay?" Not quite the truth, but how do you tell a man who practically melts your ovaries that you will spend several nights with him and not fear that you will give him everything he wants and then some?

"Then it's settled?" he inquired eagerly.

"Yes," she said finally. "It's settled." Memorial Day weekend would definitely test her faith. Big time.

The Festival was a rousing success; the residents and children left worn out and happy. Bella, Edward and the volunteers made quick work of clean up. They were so busy she didn't have time to think about where she would be spending the night or what to expect while there. And it wasn't that she didn't trust that Edward would be the perfect gentleman he promised to be, she was more worried about herself and the fact that she couldn't keep her hands off him when they were alone together. She gave her libido a stern talking to while she packed her overnight bag. Only time would tell if her libido would behave. Before she knew it, they had left her car parked in front of the leasing office of her complex and were on their way to Edward's apartment. He explained to her that if someone were looking for her car, they would look in front of her apartment building, and moving it might save it from vandalism if someone looking for her was so inclined to inflict damage upon her car.

Edward gave her a host's tour of his apartment, and once she knew where the towels were, she was good to go. He insisted on changing the linens on the bed for her, and she stepped in to help. While stripping the bed, she wondered how many women in Tallahassee alone had shared his bed. She scolded herself immediately, realizing it wasn't fair to him. He had given up that lifestyle for her, and she needed to not even entertain those thoughts. Shaking herself internally, she became immersed in watching him make the bed. Edward was definitely a product of the military when it came to bed-making. The sheets were taut, crisp, and all the angles were just so.

"Wow!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Edward stood erect as he dropped the last corner of the comforter in place.

"Your bed-making skills put me to shame."

"One of the first things I had to learn in the Marines. Improper maintenance of your sleeping quarters was grounds for corrective action."

"Corrective action?"

"Yeah, extra push ups, extra laps, extra rounds through the obstacle course..."

Bella didn't know what came over her, but she grabbed the comforter and yanked it. "What, um, corrective action will I be subjected to for mussing up the bed?"

A smile erupted on Edward's face. He began to walk slowly around the end of the bed toward her. Dropping the comforter, she did a handspring onto the bed trying to elude him, but he changed course and moved quickly back to the side of the bed where she was headed and caught her. They both tumbled onto the bed, a mass of tangled arms and legs. Bella allowed him to draw her close into his arms, and his lips claimed hers. He broke the kiss only because his cell phone buzzed. Groaning he sat up and retrieved it from his pocket. Bella continued to lay splayed out on the bed, kind of miffed at whoever interrupted them, while Edward answered his phone.

"Sorry," he said, looking quickly at the screen. "It's Emmett—just a sec." He flipped the phone open. "Hey, bro. What's up?"

While listening to Emmett, he looked back at her lying on the bed. Bella smiled and crooked her finger, silently calling him back to her on the bed. He leaned down and pecked her lightly on the lips.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Edward said into the phone, then he smiled mischievously at Bella and took her bottom lip into his mouth gently sucking it.

_Goodbye, dry panties_. She let out a low moan.

Edward released her lip reluctantly.

"Yes, Bella's here. Why do you wanna know?" he asked as he caressed her slowly down her side, his hand coming to rest on her hip.

Edward laughed. "Sure, hold on." He offered the phone to her. "Em says Rosalie wants to talk to you."

"Me?" Bella questioned. "Why?"

Edward shrugged and handed her the phone as he sat up and pulled her up with one hand.

"Hello," Bella said into the phone, not taking her eyes off Edward. As her fingers danced across his chest, he caught her hand in his and kissed her palm.

"Hey, Bella. I just wanted to make sure the plans these oafs were making are okay with you," Rosalie said without preamble.

"What plans?" Bella asked. She touched the slight dimple in Edward's chin and kissed it.

"Dinner and a movie over there with you guys," Rosalie explained.

"Yeah, that's fine by me." Edward kissed her behind her ear, and she steeled herself not to make any sound.

"Good. You never know with these two. They've had a bromance going on for years." Rosalie laughed heartily as Emmett protested in the background. "What time do you want us to show up?"

"Seven?" Bella asked. She looked into Edward's green eyes for his answer to the same question.

"Seven's good," he murmured as he assaulted her neck.

"Seven's really good," Bella almost sang as she closed her eyes in appreciation of Edward's lips driving her crazy.

"The timing couldn't be more perfect. I want to run something by you later, and um, Bella," Rosalie said. "Tell Edward to behave."

"How did you—?"

"I have a super-sensitive make-out radar," she replied.

"True dat," Emmett yelled into the phone.

Bella laughed. "You guys are full of it."

"See you two at seven." Rosalie hung up.

Bella flipped Edward's phone shut and dropped it on the bed as they made good use of the time they had left before their guests arrived.

~888~

EPOV

"Really, you guys. Em likes Lady Gaga," Rosalie said, laughing. She sat on the sofa with Emmett on the floor in front of her, his hands lazily stroking her legs on either side of him. Bella and Edward were in a similar position, with Bella idly playing with the hair that curled at the base of Edward's neck. They had just finished eating dinner and were listening to the radio, relaxing before watching the movie. The DJ was playing Lady Gaga's "Love Game."

Edward chuckled. "Dude, say it ain't so. Do I need to put you through the Edward Cullen School of Great Music, my man?" Bella, giggling, continued to plunder Edward's hair with both hands, staying out of the fray.

"I just find that whole Madonna-like mystique she has kinda sexy," Emmett said. Rosalie looked appalled. "Just saying."

"She's a copycat," Rosalie scoffed. "And everything she doesn't copy is done for maximum self-promotion."

"That may be true, but I'm gonna be asking you to wear that kinky outfit she wears in that video." Emmett waggled his eyebrows. Rosalie popped him on top of the head, but then she leaned down and kissed the very spot she smacked.

Edward looked up at Bella, and sure enough, she was blushing profusely but smiling nonetheless. She stood up, and he wound his arms around one of her legs playfully as if he was not going to let her go. _Damn. Even her legs give me a hard-on._

"I'm just going into the kitchen to get more wine," she explained, struggling to extricate her leg from his hold. "I promise I'll be right back." Finally he released her so he wouldn't embarrass himself by humping her leg like some adolescent pup.

Bella disappeared into the kitchen.

"Oh, you need to make sure you keep July eleventh open, dude," Emmett said. "Rose and I have decided to make it official while her family's in town this summer, and I can't do this without my best man."

Edward grinned and looked between him and Rosalie, who was smiling her little Mona Lisa smile. Emmett held up his fist, and he bumped it. "That's fantastic. You know I'm there for you, man."

"You think Bella would be interested in the other job?" Rosalie asked. "I can't choose between my friends without causing World War III—and no offense—but Alice is not going to get the top spot. She would take over."

"Ask her," Edward encouraged. "And no offense taken regarding Alice. She does tend to gravitate toward the elaborate."

Bella came back into the living room with a newly uncorked bottle of wine.

"More vino, people," she announced and began topping off everyone's glasses. Just as she finished with Emmett's glass, the doorbell rang.

Bella looked at Edward dubiously. "You want me to get it?"

"Sure." He took the bottle from her hand and began filling Rosalie's glass as Bella got the door.

He heard a voice he recognized. _Oh shit! _It was Melanie from two buildings over who had been January's flavor of the month. What the hell was she doing just showing up at his apartment like that? He pushed the wine bottle into Emmett's hand, who was looking at him with something like sympathy. Moving as quickly as he could, he joined Bella at the door, pulling her back flush against him and draping his arms around her body so Melanie would get the picture.

"Oh, hey," Melanie said sheepishly. "I was just telling your girlfriend that, um, my boyfriend moved in with me today, and I just wanted to return your TPD t-shirt." She thrust the shirt towards them, which somehow ended up in Bella's hands, and scurried away.

Edward reached over Bella's head to shut the door. She ducked under his arm to walk back into the living room, but he caught her hand before she could get away and turned her gently around to face him.

"Bella, I'm sorry." Her face was impassive, but she was chewing one side of her bottom lip, so he knew that little interchange had been awkward for her. "I wish she had just thrown the damn thing away. You didn't need to see that."

"As recently as a month and half ago, you were a different person," she said wryly and handed him the shirt. "It's ancient history as far as I'm concerned."

He took the shirt but pulled her into his arms as he accepted it. Rosalie and Emmett made a big production of looking for the movie they had brought with them and tried not to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Edward wanted so much to shield Bella from who he had been, but it was clear now that from time to time, the skeletons from his past would resurface at some point, the bones rattling around and making a lot of noise in his current relationship. Taking her hand in his, he led her into the kitchen to the trash can. He dropped the shirt in it.

Bella was horrified. "You didn't have to—"

"I know. Those shirts are a dime a dozen. I can get more at the precinct."

She looked relieved. "Thanks."

"Are you still up for a movie?" he asked quietly.

"Of course," she said, lacing her arm through his. "I'm curious to see what Emmett's choice is."

"You and me both," he said as they walked together back into the living room.

Despite the ever-present undercurrent of concern for Bella's frame of mind regarding that little incident, Edward decided they would move forward and try to get back into the festive mood they had forged earlier. Emmett had chosen the movie "Role Models." Edward thought that Bella and Rosalie would find the movie choice asinine, but they all found it oddly hilarious, even the potty-mouthed little kid. Mood restored, they really got into the movie. They were deep in the final medieval reenactment scene where the characters were dressed as members of KISS and going to help Augie win the Battle Royale, when the doorbell rang again.

Edward closed his eyes briefly in exasperation. Bella stiffened at his side, and he kissed her temple hoping to calm her. "Sorry," he whispered. He paused the movie. Then he turned to Emmett and Rosalie. "Excuse me, guys. I'll be right back."

He looked through the peephole, an audible groan escaping his lips unbidden. Two bikini-clad women with Coronas in hand stood at his door, one of whom he'd had a short fling with about six months before, whose name he couldn't quite remember. Cracking the door open just enough to hopefully turn them away quickly, he addressed them.

"There is a convention that most people in polite society practice. Ever hear of calling before just dropping by?" he asked sarcastically.

The women apparently found his question extremely funny and doubled over laughing.

"I have guests," he said shortly and began to close the door. The bolder of the two, the one with whom he'd been briefly involved, stepped into the door and bowled into him, pushing the door open wider. "Edward, this party looks boring. Come out and play with us by the pool—you'll have more fun." She slurred her words, and her breath smelled like day-old beer.

Emmett moved forward and stood a few feet behind Edward just in case he needed help getting the obviously wasted girls out the door.

"Um, you ladies need to leave," Edward said stiffly. "Now." He knew he was using the term "ladies" very loosely in this case. Glancing at Bella, he could tell that she was embarrassed and probably upset that this was happening, yet again. This night was turning into a nightmare. He felt like he was starring in an episode of "Punk'd" and Ashton Kutcher was about to run up to him wearing his trademark John Deere hat and laugh this whole thing off. But Ashton wasn't showing, and this girl, whose name he could not remember if his life depended on it, was getting gropey.

"Hey, girls," Emmett yelled, using his authoritative sheriff's voice. "You need to move along now. We're just two guys trying to enjoy an evening with our girlfriends. Come on now—"

The bold one sneered at Emmett. "This is Edward's apartment not yours." She tried her sexy voice on Edward again. "If you come out and play with us, I can promise you a ride on that beautiful disco stick of yours that you won't regret." She punctuated her request by grabbing his crotch. Edward forcefully removed her hand and pushed her outside the door into the waiting arms of her tipsy friend, then stepped back from her. Her Corona bottle dropped and shattered, beer and glass spewing everywhere.

"No! What are you... get the fuck away from me," he growled.

Bella, at this point, sprung up off the sofa and headed toward the door. From all indications, she looked calm, but in the blink of an eye, she methodically divested herself of her earrings and twisted her hair up, ready to come to blows with the woman if necessary. Emmett saw her intentions and grabbed her around the waist, but Bella strained to get to the woman who touched Edward. Rosalie moved behind Bella, picked up her earrings, and set them on the coffee table.

"Hey," Bella spat through clenched teeth. "What part of 'no' did you not understand?" She somehow eluded Emmett's grasp and was in the woman's face and pushing her further away from Edward, who promptly jumped between them.

"Baby, don't," Edward pleaded to Bella. "It's not worth it." He pulled her gently to him, trying to shield her from the inebriated woman.

"Who do you think you are, bitch?" the woman screeched, lunging for Bella but unable to get around Edward. The woman's friend grabbed her and pulled her back from the door, both of them crunching glass under their feet.

"I only see one woman here conducting herself like a female dog in heat," Bella replied dryly, looking around Edward at the woman. "And if you touch him again, I will put my foot so far up your well-worn reputation you won't be able to sit again, let alone accommodate a man. You got me?"

"From the feel of things, somebody's not doing their job," the woman snarked at Bella. Turning to Edward, she added, "Just say the word, baby, and I'll come back when they're gone and take care of that for you." She gestured toward a promising bulge in his pants. Apparently, his weeks of abstinence were weighing heavily on his libido.

"Okay, Bella might be too nice to say it, but I'm not. Bitches, if you don't get your cunt-trary asses out of this damn door right now, I will personally stomp the skank out of both of you." Rosalie rushed them, and the ho-bags bolted. Apparently, they didn't like their odds against the Amazonian blonde. Emmett grabbed Rosalie, closed the door, and then pulled his angry, physically shaking fiancée into his arms.

Nobody said anything for a moment. Bella looked up at Edward, her face crumpled with hurt, anger, embarrassment, and a range of other emotions she was unable to conceal, but he could not identify. She stepped back from him, her eyes not leaving his.

"Excuse me," she said softly and fled quickly to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Guilt assailed Edward. He glanced at Emmett and Rosalie, dropping his head. He then took a determined step toward the bathroom door.

Rose stepped in front of him.

"Let me go talk to her, Edward," she said calmly. "I've got a perspective on this sort of thing, remember?" She smiled at him and looked pointedly at Emmett.

"What?" Emmett said innocently but grew pale under Rosalie's glare.

"Rosalie, I should be the one to talk to her. This is my past biting me in the ass. I need to let her know that I am not that guy anymore," Edward protested.

"You'll get your chance later," Rosalie assured him. "She's hurt and embarrassed right now, and probably a little pissed at you, so give her a little time to calm down. I promise I won't bash you if it comes to that."

"Okay," Edward relented, running both hands through his hair in frustration. "Try the door from my bedroom. I don't think it's locked."

Rosalie disappeared through the door, leaving him and Emmett staring helplessly at one another.

~888~

BPOV

Bella was seething over what had just transpired with not one, but two of Edward's former hook-ups. She had never been so enraged in all her life, especially over a man. In similar situations in the past, she had always been able to rise above the petty jealousies of girls competing with her over a guy. But this situation was somehow different. The second woman had actually had the audacity to touch _her_ boyfriend's package like she had the right to do so, and in a mixed group of people no less. What ever happened to common decency? Or respecting people's personal space? Or just not touching someone in intimate places as if you own them, when clearly they are with someone else?

She was pacing in the barely six by six foot bathroom, trying to calm down, when she heard a knock at the door from the bedroom side.

"Bella?" It was Rosalie. "Can I come in?"

Bella didn't respond. She simply opened the door, and Rosalie entered. She was glad Rosalie wasn't looking at her with sympathy or pretending to be sheepish, but just pranced in and shut the door behind her.

"Men are pigs," Rosalie announced unceremoniously. "They wallow for years in promiscuity and take whatever comes their way. Eventually, when they want to settle down and have a relationship with a woman of substance, they promptly forget the sty they left behind until the slop is reeking at their door."

Despite how angry she was, Bella found this analogy uproariously funny coming from the mouth of one of the most beautiful women in Tallahassee. She laughed so hard, she dragged herself over to the toilet, put the seat lid down, and sat there with tears streaming down her face. Rosalie cracked up, too, because Bella's laughter was so infectious. They laughed together for a good minute or so.

Rosalie smirked. "Anyway, I do have a further point, if you want me to continue."

Bella grabbed a tissue and dabbed the tears from her eyes, coming down from her laughing high. "Yes, by all means, continue."

"Edward would give anything for you not to have witnessed that. You are the first woman I've ever seen him this happy with. Well, I don't really count Victoria in Terre Haute, because I never met her. But you I've met, and you're good for him, Bella."

"Rosalie, Edward is the first guy _I've_ ever been this happy with. But he's giving up a lot to be with me, and I wonder how long he's going to be able to resist women who are handing it to him on a silver platter, like tonight." Bella held her head in her hands as her frustration overwhelmed her.

"If he cares about you as much as I think he does, he'll be able to resist because he'll want to." Rosalie's cerulean blue eyes were soft.

"I worry that I'm asking too much to expect him to abstain when I push him too far all the time." Bella wrung her hands helplessly.

"Have you two talked about this?" Rose moved in front of her and perched on the edge of the bath tub.

"Yes. He says he can handle it, and I believe he's willing. It's just—sometimes I don't know if _I_ can handle it, you know? And we have this insane chemistry. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to spontaneously combust, I want him so badly."

"Sounds like you both need a little release," Rosalie offered. "How far do you feel comfortable going?"

"Um, right now, second base, maybe second and a half base."

"We can work with that," Rose said confidently. "Clothes on or off?"

"Probably on, for now," Bella answered, a dark blush rising warmly on her cheeks.

"Okay, there's tons of stuff you can do even with clothes on that can get you both to a happy medium, if you will." Rosalie's tone was professorial. "You look like you're quite athletic. Have you ever done a lap dance?"

"No."

"Have you ever seen one performed?"

"Just simulated ones on TV."

"Do you think you could simulate one?

"I guess so. I-I could also use some gymnastics moves that might be kind of sexy."

"There you go, just use any skill you have at your disposal that will create friction on that special spot on his lap. I guarantee you he'll reciprocate if he enjoys that lap dance. Then there's always straight dry-humping—"

"Rosalie."

"Yeah?"

"I think I'll just try the lap dance first."

"Okay, young Padawan learner, we'll give you a chance to get used to that technique first," Rosalie teased.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan Kenobi." Bella laughed. "I love 'Star Wars,' too."

"So, we're good?" Rosalie asked, patting her on the knee in a motherly fashion.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Well, I've got a proposition for you then."

"Really?" Bella's brow furrowed. "What kind of proposition?"

"Emmett and I have set our wedding date. We're going with July eleventh, and Em has already asked Edward to be his best man. How about you round this party out and be my maid of honor?"

Bella's mouth fell open. "Me? You want _me _to be your maid of honor? Rosalie, I'm sure you have other friends you've know much longer. Why me?"

"Here's the deal. I do have other friends I could ask, but every one of them would be jealous if I asked one of them over the other, so they're going to be my bridesmaids. And I love Alice, but she would turn my wedding into a freak show if she had that much control. Besides, Edward is best man, and I can't think of any other girl he'd enjoy escorting down the aisle on that day more."

"Well, since you put it like that Rosalie, I'd be honored," Bella said with a smile.

~888~

EPOV

Edward looked at his watch again. It had been fifteen minutes since that ridiculous altercation with those hoochies had caused Bella to retreat from him and lock herself in the bathroom. He had practically worn a hole in the carpet since Rosalie had gone in behind her. This whole situation smacked of a monumental fuck up. What had he been thinking when he thought it had been a good idea to date several women in one apartment community? Apparently, he had been thinking with another part of his anatomy then, and not his brain.

Emmett's single acknowledgment of the whole mess was to simply say, "Dude." Then he calmly commenced eating leftovers while watching Edward pace.

"Emmett, if I've fucked things up with Bella, I swear to God—" Edward ran both hands through his hair for the umpteenth time. His already wild locks had become even wilder looking.

"Calm down, Eddo. Rosie's really good at diffusing shit like this. Didn't you hear them laughing in there earlier? Everything's gonna be copacetic." Emmett hit the lever on the lounger and got comfortable in the La-Z-Boy.

"That's easy for you to say. What if she decides to leave? Better yet, what if she decides she chose the wrong guy? I invited Bella to stay here as a guest in my home, and a couple of my former hook-ups picked tonight, of all nights, to come out of the woodwork. Smooth move."

"You broke a cardinal player's rule, bro. Never have more than one chick in the same vicinity. You should have diversified." Emmett shrugged his shoulders, then a light seemed to go off in his head. "Wait. You and Bella were planning on having a sleepover? Tonight?"

"Not the kind you think, Emmett. I really respect Bella and the commitment she's made to wait until marriage to have sex. I know you think I've lost my mind, but I believe with everything in me that she's worth it and then some. I invited her here because a former classmate of hers assaulted her at the Festival earlier today and might be casing her apartment. I'm getting an alarm installed in her place after the holiday and setting up some safety precautions for her and the other women at the Center."

"Good luck with _all_ that. I'm a selfish son of a bitch. I don't think I can go more than three days without it. But I do understand that when you believe you've found the one, recreational sex doesn't have the appeal it once had. I don't want any other woman but Rosalie now." Emmett was in one of his serious conversational moods now.

"How did you keep your former hook-ups at bay when you got serious about Rosalie?"

"It took some time, but when they saw that I was serious and had really retired my little black book, they stopped coming around. What you did earlier is a start, but if you have more than the two who showed up tonight living here, you might wanna consider moving. I mean, you wouldn't want that situation recurring."

Edward blanched under Emmett's gaze.

"Damn. How many more—?" Emmett was incredulous. "Never mind. I don't wanna know."

"I thought it wouldn't matter because I had no intentions of getting serious about any of them, and I never expected I would meet someone like Bella."

"You need to start looking immediately if you don't want any other women showing up at your place looking for repeat performances while your girlfriend is here. Not cool, man."

"I was thinking about buying a piece of property in Tallahassee anyway. My tax adviser has been after me to do that for years."

"Then, there you go. It's time to get away from the riff-raff, dude, especially if you don't want their presence to undermine Bella's confidence in you. Also, buy a new bed when you move. The symbolism alone will get you major points with her. She'll love the idea that you've never done the horizontal mambo on it with anyone else except her. That is, if she ever takes enough pity on your sorry ass to put you out of your misery."

Just then the door from the bedroom opened and Rosalie and Bella came out arm in arm with big smiles on their faces. "Who's putting whom out of their misery?" Rosalie smirked.

Edward was so relieved that Bella had come out and wasn't making a beeline for the door. He sighed audibly and took several involuntary steps toward her. He stopped briefly only to get a feel for whether she was going to run in the other direction. When she did not, he strode purposely over to her and stopped mere inches from her, taking both her hands in his. Rosalie slinked away and joined Emmett on the La-Z-Boy. "Bella?" he began.

"I'm fine now, Edward. Really," she said softly. She shook her head quickly as if to clear it. "I don't know what came over me. I just felt like hitting something, preferably that girl, for touching you. For the first time in a long time, I wanted to do serious bodily harm to someone." He would have laughed out loud at that remark if he weren't still so afraid that his past would eventually be their undoing. Emmett did chuckle, and Rosalie swatted him.

Edward pulled her into his arms and held her as close as their bodies would fit together. He looked down into her beautiful eyes. "I'm so sorry. They were looking for the guy I used to be. You are my life now, Bella. I promise I am going to make it comfortable for you to be with me without worrying about skeletons jumping out of my closets."

"It just took me by surprise. I know you dated others before me. I guess I need to get used to the fact that a large portion of the female population of Tallahassee finds you just as irresistible as I do." She caressed his back lightly with her hands. "Shouldn't we finish the movie now?" He was so happy that she seemed to have put the incident behind her. She didn't look like she'd been crying at all, and for that he was very thankful.

"Only if you want to," he said, cupping her cheeks in his hands. She nodded in the affirmative. He kissed her soundly on lips, and they turned to their guests. "So, let's see if KISS-My-Anthia is going to win the Battle Royale."

~888~

BPOV

Bella was nervous, yet determined to put into practice what Rosalie had suggested. She was not going to sit idly by and let the random women littering Edward's past before her tempt him into casual sex with them again. To date, all she and Edward had enjoyed together were some steamy make-out sessions that one of them ended before the point of no return, or as Rosalie had suggested, before there was any release. Bella felt like it was high time somebody experienced something other than heavy doses of sexual frustration. She had no idea how Edward was able to abstain given the healthy sexual appetite he had been used to satisfying on a regular basis before her. This made her have so much more respect for him, considering that now he was living practically like a priest or monk with a few benefits.

Her eyes had been opened. Women could be blatant and forward, even some women in the church, but she had never bargained on competing against women like the drunken slut who'd touched Edward tonight. That sad display had convinced her that she needed to get a little more serious about marking her territory. She knew that women like her who made the chastity commitment were in the minority. Heretofore, it had been easy to keep, because there had never been anyone who had moved her as much as Edward did emotionally, or who had turned her on as much as he did sexually. Now she truly understood what all the fuss was about, and she was so afraid that she would not be enough for him. Maybe in the short term, but what would happen when what she had to offer didn't satisfy him? It was a truly scary thought to consider because she simply could not fathom not having him in her life. She would be devastated if she lost him for any reason, but to do so because she couldn't express her feelings for him through shared intimacies beyond first base was unconscionable.

As the movie concluded, they finished up the bottle of wine she had opened previously and sat around talking about anything and everything. As always, Emmett and Rosalie were fun to be around. Bella found herself laughing so much that the nervous jitters finally went away—that was until Emmett and Rosalie left for the night.

Edward graciously gave her first dibs on the bathroom to take care of her nightly rituals. After she finished, she found herself sitting stiffly in the middle of his bed wearing a soft cotton babydoll top and boy shorts. Edward emerged from the bathroom, wearing only a pair of plaid, cotton pajama bottoms with a drawstring waist. His bronze hair was damp from the shower, and his naked torso was such perfection, it spawned an immediate ache in her core that seemed to intensify as he ambled toward her on the bed. A sudden sense of shyness overcame her. She knew what she wanted to do, but she wasn't sure, just yet, how to broach the subject, let alone make a move.

He smiled, his eyes drinking her in, mirroring the way she was assessing him. "I won't keep you up since I know you have church in the morning. Do you need me to set an alarm?"

"No, I've set my cell phone alarm already." She gestured toward it on the nightstand. Bella met his eyes again. "I'm not really sleepy yet. Will you stay in here with me for a while?" She patted a spot on her right.

"Okay," he said softly and, without further ado, slid next to her, their shoulders touching. She realized then that he was probably just as nervous as she was, despite the fact that they had previously discussed intentions and expectations regarding their brief foray into cohabitation. It was like they were teenagers contemplating their first kiss or something.

Bella cleared her throat lightly. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

He grimaced and immediately began to apologize again, "Bella, I am so sorry about tonight."

She put her forefinger over his lips, silencing him, and angled so she could look into his eyes while she was talking to him. "That skank reunion is old news. I want to talk—about us."

His eyes and then his voice became anxious. "What about us? You're not thinking maybe you chose the wrong guy or anything are you?"

Bella scolded him through her chuckles. "Will you stop thinking the worst?"

Edward reached out and took her hands in his. "Okay, okay."

He took a deep breath; his sculpted chest rose and fell in front of her eyes as if in slow motion. She licked her lips involuntarily, sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, and took a deep breath of her own before she could speak again.

"It's really something good, or I hope so anyway," she said, freeing one hand from his and cupping his cheek. She smiled coyly. "Would you have any objections if we moved our physical relationship ahead a base, or maybe even a base and a half?"

His mouth began working, but sound seemed to elude him. Bella moved her mouth sympathetically, hoping to encourage him to get his words out.

Finally, his voice came back. "Sure, I—I mean no, no objections—not at all." He reached out, touched her thigh, and then moved his hand involuntarily as if it burned.

Exhaling with relief, Bella said the rest of what she wanted to say tentatively. "Good, I just worry that you—that we need to stop frustrating ourselves so much and do something to relieve, um, the pressure."

"Are you sure?" he asked judiciously. "If this is about me, I really don't want you to feel like we need to rush into this because you think I need you to."

Although she tried not to show it, her face must have registered just a hint of disappointment. She looked down as he began to speak again.

"But, as I've said before, we can do as much as you're comfortable with." His words were earnest. Edward nudged her chin with his hand, and she looked into his eyes again.

"It's just—I know it has to be hard for you, all the make-out sessions. It's hard for me and I don't even have a true frame of reference," she said solemnly.

"Baby, it's been hard for me since the first day I met you," Edward confessed readily, laughing easily at himself and the unintended double-entendre.

Bella laughed and launched herself at him.

~888~

EPOV

Edward had quickly shaken off his nerves about the events earlier in the evening and was in someplace similar to heaven. Bella had taken him completely by surprise by asking him to turn things up a notch. His libido was not complaining. As a matter of fact, it was safe to say both his and hers were cheering right about now. Bella was currently sitting straddling him on the bed, kissing him as if there were no tomorrow. Her warm center was creating delicious friction on his confined erection, which made it difficult for him to think straight, let alone speak. A strange sound escaped him—some variation of her name, maybe. He couldn't say for sure, as pleasure flowed through him like hot lava down a volcanic mountain.

"Am I doing this right?" she asked anxiously.

She rocked her body against his most sensitive of places, and he groaned. "That—will do just nicely," he ground out with a bit of difficulty. His little virginal vamp then kicked it into high gear and gave him a pseudo-lap dance that would have put a pro to shame. Using all the gymnastics moves that she could modify to tantalize him with, she created enough friction that when he came, he was almost sure he'd burned a hole in his boxer briefs straight through to his pajama bottoms.

Bella, encouraged by his responding groans of satisfaction, fisted her fingers into his hair and pulled his head to her chest. He buried his face greedily in her delicate bosom. She arched her back while he made her top moist with his insistent kissing of her turgid peaks through the fabric of her pajama top. Edward then slid both hands under the fabric of the top and cupped her breasts in his palms. Bella moaned in response as her nipples pebbled effortlessly in his hands.

Mimicking his move, she splayed her palms across his pecs and began a series of sensual caresses that made his nipples stand to attention, as well. Growing frustrated with the barrier of her shirt, she crossed her arms at the hem of it and pulled up. He watched in muted fascination as she slipped it over her head and threw it on the floor. Edward was enraptured by the beauty of her breasts. The nipples were a gorgeous dusky rose color like her lips. Licking his own lips involuntarily in anticipation, he dipped his head to taste the exquisite buds. He licked and sucked and devoured her with such alacrity, he elicited a symphony of moans that slipped wantonly from her lips. Edward could see the strain on her face building like a storm cloud close to imminent eruption. She was so responsive to his touch, he knew it wouldn't take much longer. Taking as much of her dainty areola into his mouth as he could, he alternately sucked one while manipulating the other with his fingers until he felt her body quake as if it were imploding.

She shuddered violently and moaned his name loudly. "Oh, Edward!"

_My God! I just gave my Bella an orgasm without touching anywhere below her waist._

He scooped her up in his arms and held her tightly as he kissed her full on the mouth until she relaxed from her release. She was so beautiful when she was fully sated. He was certain that the happy smile on her face mirrored his exactly, even though they were both a throbbing, sticky mess.

"Oh baby," she said. "That was, that was..." Bella couldn't find any words right away.

He decided to ask her a question he'd wondered about, but never had an opportunity to ask before. "Was that your first orgasm?"

"Yep, while I was awake, anyway," she murmured dreamily.

"Bella, if we can do this to each other and not even have sex, I don't think waiting will be as big a problem as we anticipated."

**~888~**

**E/N: During the holidays I wrote a Gift Exchange Fic that was posted on the Twilight Gift Exchange Site last week. There was a tease for it on Fictionators last Thursday: ****http://www dot fictionators dot com/2010/02/teaser-thursday-gift-exchange-edition dot html**** . The actual story is on this site: ****http://community dot livejournal dot com/twi_exchange/**** . Please go there, and see if you can figure out which one is mine. Writing it was an awesome ride! I think I love this Edward even more than I love Copward, but don't tell him that please :) - Reviewers who guess correctly will get the next chapter of TLC a day earlier than the regular update. **


	20. Ch 19 TLC: Passion and Synchronicity

**A/N: I am going to stop promising when chapters will update because I never seem to get it right. My mojo is of the finicky variety. Sometimes when I'm on I'm very on, but when I'm off, I'm lousy. So, I hope you readers and reviewers will forgive me when I don't make the mark. I don't want to give you anything crappy so I tend to wait until I know the chapter is as good as I can make it before I send it to be beta'd and then posted for you. **

**As Always, I'd like to thank a few ladies whom I really count among my RL friends since we have been working together and collaborating on this story since August: SSHG316, Charmie77, acireamos and Savage Woman. They champion TLC and encourage me so much, I don't know what I would do without them. I want to especially thank SavageWoman and SSHG316 for laboring over this chapter because SavageWoman beta'd it twice and SSHG316 took two days to complete the process, and somehow I always manage to have SSHG316 working on Friday nights. Thank you all for giving of quality family time to help me in my writing.**

**My Gift Fic was written for Cullenbabe86 and it is entitled "Yuletide Canticle." If you want to go to the Twilight Gift Exchange and read it, that would be fine. However, I am going to flesh it out and post it on FFN and Twilighted as a multi-chapter story. It is a Darkward Vampire AU story, so it won't be anything like TLC. If you go to the gift exchange and read, PM me let me know what you think.**

_**"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed." -- C. G. Jung**_

_**"Synchronicity isn't just proof of the existence of God. It's also proof of God's concern for and involvement with you." **__**-- **_**Bayard**

**"Their hearts are like an oven; they approach him with intrigue. Their ****passion** smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire." -- Hosea 7:6

**TLC - Chapter 19 – Passion and Synchronicity**

**BPOV**

Bella awoke much too early and found herself practically pinned down by a warm, and decidedly sexy, male body. Oozing contentment, she remembered she was at Edward's, and they had slept together in his bed. After the explosive climax to their evening—in more ways than one—they'd decided that he didn't have to stay on the couch after all. Feeling his even breathing in her hair, tickling the back of her neck, she smiled, remembering how his talented hands and mouth had played her like a baby grand piano. She blushed, remembering what she had done to him as well.

Edward seemed to be protecting her even in his sleep, holding her so close that movement was virtually impossible. She was held flush against the front of his body, her back to his chest, her tush to the morning stiffness of his member. Her legs were entwined in his, with her head resting on his left arm and his right arm thrown possessively over her body. She couldn't possibly escape without waking him, but she needed to use the bathroom—soon. However, she decided that she wanted to watch him sleep for a few seconds. Carefully extricating her legs from his, she turned slowly in the circle of his arms onto her right side, facing him. Edward shifted slightly and sighed, but continued to breathe evenly as she studied his sleeping visage.

With his face relaxed he looked totally vulnerable and sweet, almost like he had in the picture she'd seen of him when he was a little boy. The day-old stubble on his cheeks was the only thing that belied his youth. His hair was truly a wild bed head mess at the moment, with absolutely no order to it whatsoever. She looked at his lips that were relaxed in slumber, yet ruddy and puckered as if begging to be kissed. Grinning impishly, she leaned in and brushed his lips softly with her own.

"Morning, beautiful," Edward mumbled without opening his eyes. "It is morning, right?"

Now that he was talking, she felt it was probably okay to touch him. Her hands hungered to be on him all the time now. Pressing another soft kiss to his lips, she ran her hands, palm open, over his expansive chest. He smiled instantaneously, and his green, sleep-cloudy eyes opened and swept greedily over her face. He pulled her closer, massaging her lower back and sweeping lazily down the curve of her bottom.

She smiled and whispered, "Technically, yes. But it's not time to get up yet." She moved in preparation to get out of bed, but he held her closer.

"Then where are you going?" He opened his eyes in earnest then; his question had a frantic tenseness that she didn't expect.

"Um, I think I had a little too much wine last night," she answered as honestly as she could without delving into the murky grayness of TMI. She wriggled out of his arms, hopped off the bed, and headed for the bathroom.

She glanced back at him. Edward stretched out on his back with his hands propped behind his head, watching her, his eyes smoldering with unmistakable desire. "Be right back," she promised with a smirk on her lips and a shake of her head. He was insatiable, but she was also as hungry for him as he was for her.

Quickly taking care of her business, she examined herself in the mirror. Her hair was a disheveled mess, but as she regarded the woman looking back at her, she couldn't help but notice that she looked like a sexier version of herself. She surveyed the burgundy satin teddy she had slipped on while cleaning up from the previous night's activities, her pajamas having been rendered un-wearable. Finger combing her unruly hair a bit, she took in the results in the mirror. As her eyes traveled from her face to her neck and shoulders, she saw a couple of quarter-sized hickeys visible on her skin, one on the side of her neck and the other on her chest, perilously close to her cleavage.

"Ugh," she groaned. How was she going to be able to show herself in church without embarrassing her parents and herself?

Edward was at the door in a few seconds. "Bella?" he called through the door. "Are you okay?" He must have heard her groaning and thought she was sick or something.

Rather than yell through the door, Bella swung it open. "I'm fine. I just realized that the Swan curse has betrayed me again." She gestured toward the offending bruises.

"Oh man," he said, touching the bruised spots gingerly while he examined her. Bella watched as he also inspected the fading bruises on her arms left by Laurent. He scowled. "I need to remember to be more careful with you."

"You think these will fade sufficiently enough in six hours so I won't have to go to church looking like I've had a wild night of passion with my boyfriend?" she teased and wound her arms around his waist.

Edward shook his head, smirking rather smugly. "I wouldn't count on it. Will Rev. Swan shoot me on sight when he sees this?"

"Probably," she answered, playfully enunciating the word in three distinct syllables.

He feigned a fearful look. "This will definitely ruin the great first impression I planned to have on him this weekend."

"I'll just have figure out what to do about concealing your handiwork, Casanova." Bella released him and moved back toward the bed. She climbed back in as he entered the bathroom and closed the door.

She'd been in college the last time she had a hickey. It had been embarrassing enough being around her friends. How was she going to finesse this under her parents and maybe even the whole congregation's appraising eyes? The one on her chest was easy enough to cover by not wearing a low cut top, but the one on her neck required another form of concealment. A scarf was out of the question because it was too hot in the Florida Panhandle this time of year. Maybe some makeup concealer would do the trick. _Crisis averted._

Edward came out of the bathroom and slid into bed beside her, his hands immediately reaching for her. As she settled into the crook of his arm and laid her head on his chest, they both sighed in unison. She couldn't help but giggle.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Us—how we're kind of comfortable together like this."

"Yeah, we are, aren't we?" he marveled, squeezing her closer and kissing the top of her head. After a beat, he said, "Thank you for agreeing to stay even after that fiasco last night."

She smiled. "I think I should be thanking you, but you're welcome."

~888~

_Bella was dreaming of eating chocolate-covered strawberries and drinking champagne in some unknown place with Edward. They wore plush white robes and sat on a balcony boasting a gorgeous ocean view in the early morning sun. Smiling, Edward picked up a strawberry and brought it to her lips. The dream felt so real, she could smell the chocolate and strawberries..._

"Hey, sleepy head," the most beautiful voice in the world said to her. She felt something against her lips that was just a little too rigid to be Edward's lips. Then she smelled the strawberry and chocolate. Her eyes and mouth flew opening simultaneously before tasting the chocolate. Her eyes adjusted to see Edward leaning over her prone form on the bed, holding a chocolate-covered strawberry to her lips. Bella took a bite, smiled, and wound her hands around his neck to pull him down for a brief kiss.

When she let him go, he leaned back up, bringing her with him into a sitting position, and gave her the rest of the strawberry, which she happily consumed. He licked the chocolate from his lips that she had smeared on him when she'd kissed him. Seeing his tongue made her want to nix the strawberries and pull him back into the bed, but she knew she had to get ready for church soon.

"Mmm, thanks," she murmured happily. "Where did you get these?"

"My neighbor is the manager of the Godiva store in Governor's Square Mall. I picked them up from his place this morning." He took her hand. "Come on, there's more where that came from."

Bella went willingly as Edward led her out into the dining area where he already had breakfast laid out for them. There were more chocolate-covered strawberries, French toast with strawberries and whipped cream topping, turkey bacon, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a cup of her favorite latte from Starbucks. A single red rose adorned her place setting, and a vase filled with eleven more was the centerpiece.

His surprise overwhelmed her. "Edward, this is just... awesome." She took the rose and brought it to her nose, inhaling the beautiful scent. "How did you manage all this without waking me up?"

"The French toast and turkey bacon were the only things I actually had to prepare. Once I picked up the strawberries from Ian next door, everything else was just grab and go."

She moved to him and threw her arms around his neck. He caught her around the waist and pulled her close. This kiss was not brief. Bella reluctantly let him go when he broke the kiss and held her chair out for her.

"I think we'd better cool it if we plan on making it to City of Hope on time," he said. Bella did a double-take.

"We?" She arched an eyebrow as she unfolded a napkin into her lap. Her heart began to thump wildly in her chest. Was he contemplating going with her? She glanced quickly at him and got her answer almost immediately.

Edward moved to the chair on her left and sat down. "Um, yeah, I should probably go with you today—I mean, that is, if you want me to."

_Oh. My. God. Edward is offering to go to church with me_. _This is epic._

"Of course I want you to. I didn't invite you because I know you're still grappling with what COGS did to you and your mom, and I thought it might be too soon to ask."

"Bella you don't ever have to feel like it's too soon to ask me anything." He poured orange juice for her as she cut into her French toast. "So, tell me, what's the dress code?" he asked tentatively.

"We're pretty laid back. We get everything from Sunday best to jeans and shorts." She took a bite of the French toast. Her excitement that he was willing to join her at church almost made her choke. She washed it down with a sip of her latte and cleared her throat.

"Are _you_ wearing jeans or shorts?" he probed.

"No, I usually wear a nice dress. I feel like God is worth the effort, so I dress nicely for worship. But that's my personal conviction. He prefers we come as we are." She felt like she was babbling, so she shut up abruptly.

"I'm sure I have some slacks and a dress shirt that'll be fine." He smiled and popped a strawberry into his mouth. Edward never ceased to amaze her. Considering his general aversion to all things church-related, he seemed really excited about going to church with her.

"Are you sure?" she asked. One thing she didn't want to do was guilt him into going. And truth be told, she didn't know if she was ready to let her dad know that she was seriously dating someone who didn't share their faith. She knew it was cowardly of her to not confront the situation head-on and have her dad just deal with it. But she hadn't given sufficient thought about how to make that rather startling revelation to the good reverend. Maybe if she could talk Edward into not going to church with her today, they could go to the Memorial Day party together, where her father was expecting her to bring him anyway, and she'd have another week or so to think about what she was going to say to her dad.

"Edward, if you're going because you think I won't be safe, I've got my dad there and a couple hundred men in the congregation who won't let any harm come to me if they can help it. I want you to go, but not out of obligation."

He took her left hand in his, fingering her commitment ring. "Yes, I'm sure I want to go. I've just been thinking about what happened to my parents. As messed up as COGS was, their marriage might have survived if my dad had kept his pants firmly zipped and been willing to compromise and find another church, considering how important faith was to my mother." He locked eyes with her. "Bella, I know how important your faith is to you, and even if I don't buy everything hook, line, and sinker, I want to try to understand what the appeal is for you."

Bella was flabbergasted. When he put it like that, how could she struggle with a simple thing like telling her dad? He was all but baring his soul to her. She struggled to respond calmly. "Okay, then I'd be honored to have you go with me. You know, I've looked at my parents' relationship analytically, too, and despite what people think about Christian marriages, it's not without its challenges. My parents like to say that they are committed to being committed to one another. There is always going to be conflict, but the true measure of how strong a relationship really is can be relegated to how that conflict is resolved."

"More of the reverend's Swanisms?" he asked playfully.

"You know it."

"His teachings seem so practical, not high-minded and mystical at all."

"My dad's sermons come across like conversations. He communicates a culturally relevant evangelical message, which addresses both personal and social concerns, and delivers it in a way that is easily understood."

He finally dug into his French toast. "Then, I'm looking forward to it."

~888~

**EPOV **

Edward stood in the back of the City of Hope Church, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. Several church members had approached him almost immediately after the service, pegging him as a visitor despite the fact that half the congregation was Caucasian. In their smiling, almost overly-kind manner, they'd thanked him profusely for coming and admonished him to "do come again." Add to this the stream of curious, young, single women who had accosted him with their flirtatious manner, inviting him to their next meeting at Chez Pierre. He let them know in no uncertain terms that _if_ he attended, he'd do so as Bella's date. He considered bolting if they approached him again, however, he couldn't very well leave without Bella. As soon as Rev. Swan had given the benediction she'd disappeared with the rest of the choir into the back of the building.

Having endured about twenty minutes of singing, which was by far his favorite part of the service, a few announcements, and then a thirty-minute sermon, he was anxious to see the woman who gave him the courage to end his self-imposed exile from church. Her solo was tantamount to perfection. Edward smiled as he remembered watching Bella sing. Her eyes had returned to his again and again. He'd been so proud that he felt like leaning forward to the people in the pew in front of him and telling them, "That's my girlfriend."

Completely lost in his thoughts about Bella, he started when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Turning, he recognized Renee Swan.

"Edward." Renee greeted him with a dazzling smile, her hazel eyes dancing merrily. She looked resplendent in a cool white linen suit with a matching white hat perched in her auburn hair. "I thought it was you back here." She lowered her voice and leaned in to whisper, "I would have said hello sooner, but Mrs. Glover decided to show me the pictures of her great-grandchildren in Ann Arbor again. Poor thing. She never remembers that I've seen them several times. But every time she pulls out that long plastic foldout of wallet-sized photos. I give her a few minutes because I want people to return the favor when I'm her age."

"Mrs. Swan, it's good to see you again." He offered his hand to her, but she patted it away.

"I don't require the 'right hand of fellowship' from my daughter's friends." She opened her arms for a hug, and he embraced her briefly, then sheepishly slid his hands into his pockets. "And call me Renee, remember."

"There's something about being in church that kind of makes it seem necessary to use titles," he said. "I'll remember next time, though."

"I'm glad you were able to visit with us today. We aren't as high church as St. John's and not as charismatic as COGS, but we try to strike a good balance."

Frowning slightly, he hastened to correct her. "Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme are members of St. John's, and I haven't set foot on the grounds at COGS since I was a little boy—well, until recently, that is." He smiled genuinely. "I actually like City of Hope because it doesn't lean too far in either direction."

"That's right; you were in Indiana before moving here a year ago. Sorry for making assumptions about your affiliation. Maybe Bella can persuade you to join us." The suggestion was not lost on him.

"Maybe," he replied, a slight smirk playing on his lips. Looking over Renee's shoulder, he saw Bella hurrying toward them. "Here comes our favorite soloist now."

"Mom," Bella said, opening her arms and walking into her mother's embrace. "Thanks for keeping Edward company." She then moved effortlessly from her mother's embrace to his side and laced her fingers through his.

Renee raised an eyebrow at their joined hands but didn't say anything, and Bella didn't make any effort to explain. After an uncomfortable silence, Renee chose to acknowledge Bella. "I really just got here, but I think Edward received a warm welcome from quite a few people before I escaped Mrs. Glover."

"How are those great-grandchildren, Mom?" Bella teased.

Renee rolled her eyes, smiling good-naturedly. "I'm going to join your father on the steps to see the last of the congregants out. You two say hello to him before you leave."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Edward said to her in parting, but he was already drinking Bella in with his eyes. Before he could ask her why she didn't introduce him formally to her mother, she asked him a question.

"So, what did you think?"

"My favorite part was your singing," he answered honestly. "And Rev. Swan was quite engaging. I didn't fall asleep once. But one guy on the pew with me did—several times."

"That was Deacon Wilson. He's been a member here forever and a good friend of my parents. Dad teases him that he can't stay awake because he samples too much barbeque before he comes to church. He's a caterer and makes the best barbeque in Tallahassee, which you'll get a chance to taste tomorrow."

"Now, he did manage to stay awake for your singing, as a matter of fact. His face practically lit up, as did many other men's faces in the room."

"Really now?"

"Yeah, and I wanted to tell everybody within whispering distance, 'That's my girlfriend up there,'" he said with a wicked grin. He wanted to hold her in his arms so badly, but he was unsure of what was appropriate in church, so he settled for holding both her hands.

"Kinda glad you didn't do that," she muttered, blushing profusely. "I probably would've tumbled out of the choir loft mid-song." She looked so red with embarrassment, he believed her.

Releasing her right hand he kept her left hand in his and moved toward the door, chuckling. "Let's say hi to your dad. Alice sent a text inviting us for lunch after church."

Bella giggled. "You know, that sounds weird coming from you."

"Saying hi to your dad, or Alice inviting us for lunch after church?" He had to admit that saying he'd do anything _after church_ was a foreign notion.

"Actually, both."

As they approached Rev. Swan, Edward felt Bella stiffen a bit, and her hand became moist and clammy in his. He looked down at her, silently questioning if she were okay. She looked back up at him, her eyes wide with unmistakable fear, as if she were about to face an execution. Through it all, she flashed him a quick smile that didn't engage her eyes and tugged him along as the couple in front of them finally moved away from her parents.

"Edward!" Rev. Swan greeted him warmly, extending his hand, which Edward gladly took and shook firmly. "So glad you chose to visit with us today. You're always welcome at City of Hope Church. You just keep taking care of my daughter like you've been doing, and we just might have to grant you an honorable membership."

"Rev. Swan," Edward said by way of greeting with a ready smile. "Thanks for the warm welcome. Taking care of Bella is by far the most favorite part of my job. Great message, by the way. Job's story has always intrigued me and you gave us another perspective from which to look at it."

"God is good. I am always in awe of the messages He gives a lowly former cop like me to share," Charlie said humbly. He then caught Bella's eye. "Good to see you're actually practicing some of the tenets of the Great Commission and inviting friends to church again, or should I say boyfriend?"

Edward waited for Bella to agree with her dad and introduce him as her boyfriend, a special friend, or something other than just someone whom she was evangelizing or sharing the Good News. Ignoring the big-assed elephant on the steps of the church with them, she just released his hand and embraced her father.

"Who's responsible for attracting most of the youth and college students here within the last year, hmm?" Bella goaded.

Charlie gathered his daughter into his arms and squeezed her tight. "Something you never allow me to forget, baby girl."

When Charlie released her, Bella moved between her parents and took her mom's hand, and Charlie addressed Edward again.

"We would have you two over for lunch today, but we'll be here in the fellowship hall a while. We have a new members and visitors lunch today. I know how fond you Episcopals are of your liturgies, so I wouldn't deign to proselytize." Rev. Swan laughed.

Renee, having made this same mistake a while ago, swooped in to the rescue. "Edward isn't a member of the Episcopal church, honey." Charlie looked baffled. "I'll explain later," she promised and then smoothly addressed him again. "Edward, did Bella remember to invite you to our annual Memorial Day Family Barbeque at the house tomorrow?"

"Yes, Mrs—Renee," Edward self-corrected quickly. "_We_ definitely plan on being there." Renee smiled as if she approved of the royal "we" he'd used, but Charlie seemed rather surprised by it.

Seeing the line behind them growing by several people at once, Bella immediately stepped in and amiably slid her arm through his. She quickly maneuvered them away.

"We'll see you tomorrow, then, Mom, Dad," she said in parting.

~888~

On the ride over to Alice and Jasper's, Bella attempted conversation several times, but Edward was monosyllabic, at best. He hated himself for shutting down on her like that, but he was oddly pissed off that she hadn't made it clear to her parents that he was more than just some guy she'd decided to invite to church. For her, he wanted to be more than just a co-worker, more than just the cop who protected her, more than just a friend. Was there something she was afraid to say to her parents, her father in particular? The entire thing weirded him out because he'd never even cared to meet any woman's parents before, let alone hope that one would introduce him as someone important to them. He'd never wanted to be that for anyone before, and the first time that he did, it didn't happen.

Undaunted, Bella continued her attempts to draw him out in conversation.

"I really think you're growing on my parents," she ventured.

"Huh," he grunted. Looking out the rearview mirror, he spied a familiar gold car about three cars back. He decided he'd take the next turn to see if the car actually followed them. The car kept going on Thomasville road, so he rounded the next block and decided to pick up Thomasville later. Bella sighed loudly, and he glanced at her.

"Okay, that's it. You want to tell me what's gotten into you, Edward? You've been giving me the cold shoulder ever since we left the church."

"I guess I was just following the lead you established with your parents. Adopt a 'don't ask, don't answer' posture and let the chips fall where they may."

"What are you talking about?" she asked through a nervous chuckle.

"You know very well what I'm talking about. What am I to you, Bella?"

"You're my boyfriend. I-I've grown to care about you very much," she admitted unsteadily.

"Why wasn't that fact made clear to either of your parents, today?" he accused hotly.

When Edward glanced at her again, she dropped her head and fidgeted with her fingers in her lap.

"I guess I didn't think it was absolutely necessary to do that _today_," she breathed fiercely. "That's all."

"Why? Are you ashamed of me, or something?" Injustice boiled up in his blood. Whether it was real or perceived, he wasn't entirely sure.

"No, why would you think that?"

"I can see where my past might be kind of distasteful to church-folks' sensitivities," he said scornfully.

She recoiled slightly from his misplaced ire, but she didn't completely back down. "Everyone—every person in that church—has sins, has a past."

"That may be true, but I still want to know why you looked like you were going to the gas chamber when we were simply going down to greet your dad."

She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes.

"I just didn't want to tell him about you today because I need time to figure out _how_ I'm going to tell him."

"Oh, that's an easy one. How about, 'Dad, I'm dating Edward Cullen exclusively' or 'Dad, Edward Cullen is my boyfriend.'"

"I'm clear on that part. I just need to figure out how to tell him that you're neither Protestant nor Catholic and may never be."

"Is that a deal-breaker for him or something?"

"Maybe for him, but not for me," she insisted.

He pulled into the Whitlock's' driveway and parked the car before he responded. "How can you be sure, if you can't even tell him about me, Bella?"

"I can tell him. I'm going to tell him."

"When?"

Bella's mouth moved but no words came out.

Edward's reaction was one of biting sarcasm. "That's what I thought." He slid out of the car and, despite feeling like she had just kicked him in the gut, opened the door for her. Why was it so important to him that she make their relationship known to her parents? Yes, he had let his mother know how important she was to him and had gone so far as to renounce her if she didn't accept Bella, but this was not about reciprocity. So what was it?

Admittedly, this could be a remnant of his abandonment issues rearing its ugly head when everything was going so well. But it wasn't until he opened the door and saw the pain in her eyes that he realized why he was so damned upset about her not acknowledging their relationship today, and it pierced his heart as if he were being stabbed. He knew why he needed Bella to tell her parents he was special to her: He was falling in love with her.

Given what he had just admitted to himself, there was no way he could let her go into his cousin's house in her current state. Seeing the same trepidation in her eyes that he'd seen when they were going to greet her father, he never wanted to see that look associated with him again. He had to make this right somehow, but before he could think out a plan of action, she was out of the car and in his arms.

"Edward, please don't be upset with me," she mumbled against his chest, her slender arms locked behind his back and holding him with all her might. "I'll tell him—tomorrow. I promise."

Edward really felt like an asshole then. He held her in his arms firmly yet gently, massaging her back softly with his hands. "Hey," he said soothingly. "I'm sorry I was being such a douche, just now. You have parents whose opinions matter to you. I can understand why you need time to tell your father something that might become a source contention in your family."

She looked up at him with her brown eyes, and he felt overwhelmed with the need to tell her how he really felt, but he didn't want to scare her away by declaring himself to her too early. He smiled down at her, hoping that his change in demeanor was easing the anxiety he'd made her feel.

"But I should have told them today and not ignored their intimations so blatantly. It made you uncomfortable, and I'm so sorry." Bella relaxed her arms around him, and her thumbs hooked through the belt loops at his waist. She raised herself on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Forgive me?"

His heart melted completely then, and he could not help himself. He cupped her cheeks in his hands, leaned down, and kissed her in a way that he hoped conveyed everything he wanted to say but was unable to articulate at that moment. Suddenly he was kissing her with a fervor that threatened to sap his strength. It must have done the same to her because he felt her knees give way just a bit, and she relaxed against him completely, a low moan escaping her gorgeous, dusky rose lips. Frantic and seeking, he plundered deeper and deeper into her mouth, as he tightened his arms around her. He could feel her giving way to his mastery completely, and for a few fleeting seconds, he was glad they were in Alice and Jasper's driveway. Had they been back at his apartment, this kiss might have been their undoing, stripping them bare and leaving them vulnerable—almost too vulnerable.

The unmistakable sound of a door opening and a throat clearing brought them out of that soul-stealing kiss, and they looked over to see Jasper approaching them.

"I thought I heard a car pull up a little while ago," he said with a smirk. "You know, we have neighbors whose sensibilities might just be offended by such graphic PDA."

"Sorry, Jasper." Bella blushed and began to pull away.

Edward held her fast and brushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. "I'm almost certain the neighbors have been initiated thoroughly by you and my spritely cousin. Nothing could shock them now," he drawled confidently. He smiled at his beautiful girlfriend again and did not move toward the door until he got a smile from her in return.

~888~

**BPOV**

Leave it to Alice to discover the hickey on her neck that she was trying to conceal. They were in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on lunch when Alice spotted the half-concealed bruise. Jasper and Edward were in the den watching a basketball game. Some of the cosmetic must have rubbed off while she and Edward had been making up after their little spat in the driveway. Examining the hickey like it was a wart, Alice scrunched her tiny nose at her friend.

She redistributed the errant concealer on Bella's neck. "There. You know, I'm getting a visual of what caused this, and it's squicking me out," Alice teased.

"Yeah, right," Bella said, peering at herself in the glass front of the microwave. "You and Jasper have squicked me out so much that I think my squicker is broken."

They giggled like fools. When they recovered, Alice took the casserole out of the oven and set it on top of the stove to cool just a bit.

"Edward looks so happy," Alice said. "I've never seen him like this before—not even when he was with Vicky."

"Rosalie told me as much just last night. And what do I do today? I almost messed things up with him, big time."

"Really? I can't imagine how you could do that. Can you believe Rosalie and Emmett finally set a date?"

"It's exciting, but what I really can't believe is that she asked _me_ to be her maid of honor. I hurt Edward's feelings today by not being completely honest with my parents about our relationship." Bella continued the dual topics with Alice easily.

"Who knew my cuz was so sensitive? The old Edward would have been offended if a girl _wanted_ him to meet her parents." Alice scoffed. "You'll be a great maid of honor for Rosalie. She takes high maintenance to a whole 'nother level. Even my mad skills wouldn't be able to handle the Bridezilla she will most definitely be."

Bella smiled, marveling at how well Rosalie and Alice knew each other and still came to the same conclusions, although for completely different reasons.

"Well, honestly, I was a little intimidated by Rosalie when I first met her, but she's turned out to be a cool friend. Besides, I'm indebted to her now for—asking me to be her maid of honor when she could have asked so many others." The latter half of the sentence tumbled out almost unintelligibly.

Alice was like a bloodhound. She knew right away that Bella had not said what she originally intended to say. Narrowing her eyes and folding her arms in front of her meager chest, Bella waited for the onslaught.

"Isabella Marie Swan." Alice rolled all the syllables of her name out like a true southern belle. "I do believe you're trying to hide something from me."

Bella looked at her friend as innocently as she could. "What?"

"Let me just tell you what I think," she said, grabbing the potholders and grasping the casserole again. Bella followed her into the dining room where Alice set the dish in the middle of the table. Alice stood erect again with the huge potholders still on her hands gesturing wildly. "You have a passion mark on your neck—undoubtedly placed there by my cousin sometime last night. Rosalie and Emmett hung out with you guys last night at Edward's place. So, I think Rosalie encouraged you somehow with her Nordic Dr. Ruth Westheimer School of Sexual Expertise."

Bella's mouth fell open. Alice was indeed clairvoyant. "Well, her advice wasn't unsolicited," Bella declared.

"I knew it!" Alice walked back into the kitchen, and Bella followed.

"_I_ wanted to move things along with Edward. Rosalie did not push me."

"Is that so?" Pursing her lips, Alice opened the fridge, brought out a pitcher of lemonade and set it on the island. "What made you feel like you needed to go there if Rosalie's advice wasn't a factor?"

"Do you know how hot your cousin is? I mean seriously."

"But you've had 'hot' before and never felt the need to push the boundaries of physical intimacy."

"I don't know, Alice, I just want him in that way more than I've ever wanted any other man." With a frustrated sigh, Bella fidgeted nervously with her purity ring. "And then, these... these women kept showing up at his apartment, and I just kinda panicked, I guess. I don't want to lose him to some skank who's throwing it at him," she said quietly, her face visibly paling in the process.

Alice softened. "Oh, sweetie, Edward cares about you. You really don't need to be worried about that. Let your relationship progress naturally."

"I don't have any prior experience, but everything we did last night felt natural," Bella said sheepishly.

"Show me your ring, Bella," Alice demanded suddenly.

Bella was peeved that Alice would even ask, but she quickly held up her left hand so Alice could get a good look at it. "You really didn't think I'd actually given it up, did you?"

"Edward is very experienced, and you're kind of naive when it comes to sex. He could do things to you that would have you thinking you've lost your mind. How easy would it then be to lose a little cherry?"

"Alice! I thought it squicked you out to think about your cousin in that way?"

"Not when it comes to my friend and her faith convictions. He's not pressuring you, is he?"

"No, Edward is not pressuring me. He wouldn't do that. He's been a perfect gentleman. We slept together in his bed last night after Rosalie and Emmett left, and I didn't come away deflowered."

"You spent the night at Edward's?" Alice gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth.

"Yeah, but it's really not what you think. Edward didn't want me to be alone in my apartment just in case Laurent showed up after all the trouble he caused at the festival. As a result of his crap, we're going to have to start carrying pepper spray and following stricter safety precautions at the Center."

Alice relaxed visibly. "Okay, well tell me what 'moving things along' entailed besides a ginormous hickey?"

"Are you seriously asking me for details?"

"Bella, you're probably the only virgin friend I have left. Humor me." She opened a bag of Hawaiian wheat rolls and placed them in a bread bowl.

"Second base." Bella sighed audibly. "With like all the benefits of third." She bit her lip nervously.

"Ooh, little Bellarina had a big 'O,'" Alice teased. "I thought you looked different today—not so uptight."

Bella turned red as a beet. "Would you stop it, Alice?"

"Stop what?" Jasper asked as he entered the kitchen. He was followed by Edward, who gravitated to Bella, took up residence behind her, and wrapped his arms around her torso.

Jasper sauntered over to Alice and kissed the top of her head. "Honey, we came to see if lunch was ready."

"Um, yeah, take the lemonade to the table. I'll bring the bread," Alice said, ignoring his original question.

As Alice and Jasper moved into the dining room, Edward looked with curiosity at Bella's blushing skin. "Alice giving you a hard time?"

"You know how infuriatingly perceptive she is," she said, patting his hands that were busy driving her crazy by making lazy little passes over her tummy. She turned in his arms to face him. "Aren't you hungry?"

His eyes smoldered with so much desire, his normal emerald-green burned dark jade. "I'm always hungry for you, baby."

**E/N: Stories I have been enamored with lately:** **"Dark Games and Twisted Minds" by katinki; "Becoming Jane" by LoreliD; and "Hide and Drink" by Savage (on Twilighted). Notice a pattern here? I have become totally smitten with vampire fics of late. I will be writing a Volturi-centric vampire story when I finish TLC, so stay tuned. Don't you think Felix is just yummy in a bad boy kind of way? Well, I do ;)**

******My Gift Exchange Fic is posted at the Twilight Gift Exchange. Check it out here: http: // community dot livejournal dot com / twi_exchange /** **They were anonymous for a while, but mine is "Yuletide Canticle" written for Cullenbabe86**  



	21. Ch 20 TLC: Wild Is The Wind, Part 1

**A/N: ****My betas are Goddesses: SSHG316, Charmie77, acireamos and Savage Woman. They make TLC so pretty, I don't recognize my own writing sometimes. I want to especially thank them all this time for laboring over this long chapter, which will come in two parts because I refused to push them to work on anymore of my fiction on their weekend. I take enough of their family life from them through the week. My goal is to never have them working on Friday or Saturday nights anymore. Thank you all for tirelessly helping me in my writing.**

**See info about SSHG316's new story in my E/N below! You'll be glad you did ;)**

_**Terrors overwhelm me; my dignity is driven away as by the**____**wind**__**, my safety vanishes like a cloud. – Job 30:15 NIV**_

**TLC - Chapter 20 - Wild Is The Wind, Part 1**

**BPOV**

After running five miles, Bella and Edward devoured the rest of the chocolate-covered strawberries, along with a large portion of the **s**pinach quiche she'd made for their breakfast on the morning of Memorial Day. While Edward was showering, Bella called to remind her friends that she wanted them to come to the family barbecue at her parents' home that night. It was a given that Angela and Ben would be there, but she wanted to include Emmett, Rosalie and the Whitlocks, as well. Bella was still terrified of telling her father that she was seriously dating a man whom he would describe in his astute, seminarian's way as possessing no faith center. Deciding that there was strength in numbers, she wanted as many of her friends as possible to be there.

Edward was right. She was afraid to tell her dad about him, because his opinion mattered so deeply to her. In every discussion they'd ever had from her youth until early adulthood, her father had cautioned her to guard her heart against people who did not share her faith, and that in not doing so, she could harm herself in the long run. But when the rubber met the road, how could she really instruct her heart to steer clear of someone who had captured her heart so completely and was well on the way to being the source that gave her heart a reason to keep beating?

Alice and Jasper promised they would make an appearance after they spent a good portion of the day with her parents. Alice, in turn, reminded Bella that she and Edward needed to make an appearance at her parents' home, too. Elizabeth would be there, and Alice was afraid that Edward might not make the effort to see her on the holiday otherwise. Edward's relationship with his mother was still shaky, at best, and Bella wanted to do everything she could to encourage a continuing dialogue between them.

Rosalie assured Bella that if good food was involved, Emmett would definitely be up for it. They were going to be at his parents' earlier in the day in Crawfordville, so a later time for everyone to get together was definitely doable. Bella wondered fleetingly if her parents had invited the Halls. Her last interaction with James had involved a drunken encounter on her doorstep. And lately, her life was so busy that she had not taken the time to check in on him to see how he was doing. However, communication ran two ways, and if he'd really wanted to talk to her, _he_ could have called. She sincerely hoped that he was getting over the pain from all that had transpired between them and was moving back in the direction of regaining his emotional stability.

Edward emerged from the shower clad only in a towel, and despite having had two very heavy make-out sessions with him in the last twenty-four hours, seeing him semi-clothed set her throbbing with need for him yet again. Had she become some kind of virgin nymphomaniac or something? Was there really such a thing, particularly of the virginal variety? Maybe she was an orgasm addict now. Edward was so skilled, he could almost get her off by looking at her in a certain way, and when he added his lips and his hands, all bets were certainly off.

It was good that she was lounging on the bed, because her breathing had gone from languid to labored in a matter of seconds. She was sure her legs were Jell-O by now, so walking away from the temptation was not an option. Her eyes greedily devoured his physique as he pulled out a drawer and assembled some articles of clothing to wear. His back was a sea of rippling muscle across his shoulders and sleek from his shoulder blades to his waist. The only things that marred that smoothness were the scar from his injury while in the Marines and the lone tattoo on his right arm in honor of his friend Paul. She was busy considering whether she should initiate contact when she looked from his nice towel-shrouded butt to his eyes and found him smiling.

Bella blushed and covered her eyes with her hands in exasperation. "Ugh," she groaned. "I feel like a teenager again."

Feeling the bed sink slightly, she knew that Edward had joined her there. Peeking out from behind one of her hands, she found his face inches from her own, and before she knew it, his hands were prying hers away from her face. She allowed her hands to go limp, and he held them in his, caressing the backs with his thumbs.

"Bella," he said softly, "it's only natural for us to have these reactions to each other. I love it that you like what you see when you look at me, because I _really_ like what I see when I look at you."

She was pretty sure she was grinning like a fiend now, because he smiled that crooked smile she loved so much and kissed the corner of her mouth. He smelled good enough to eat, and she blushed slightly at the thought.

"I just feel like my hormones are going haywire all the time, and I lose all control when I see you looking like—" she waved her hand in his general direction as she struggled to find the right word "—this."

He chuckled. "See, that's one of the things I love about you, Bella. You are honest even when you're flustered or embarrassed. Most people would say what they thought the other person wanted to hear."

"I just think being disingenuous is such a waste of time, and it takes twice as long for you to get to know somebody."

"Right, but most people, including myself, don't want you to see the good, the bad, and the ugly until you're somewhat emotionally invested in them."

"I feel like I've been emotionally invested in you since day one, Mr. Cullen." She ran her hands lightly over his biceps. "Lately, I've become increasingly _physically_ invested in you."

"Well, then, it only stands to reason that I'd want to reciprocate, Ms. Swan," he said huskily. He leaned in and explored her lips lightly with his and then continued talking softly against her mouth. "I really want to show you how physically invested I am in you right now, but we need to get dressed."

She nipped gently at his bottom lip before she responded, not moving away an inch. "Why? We don't have to be at the Cullens' until two."

"I thought we might go out to visit my mother for a couple of hours," he said, leaning back so he could see her reaction.

Bella smiled. It seemed that Alice's fears were unfounded. "She'll be so happy, Edward. When did you decide this?" She wound her hands around his neck.

"I called her when you were in the shower," he confessed. "She wanted us to come for brunch, but I told her we already had plans later in the day but that we could come for a visit."

Bella bounced off the bed. "Then, I'll leave so you can get dressed."

"Good idea," he said with a smirk, "ye of so little self-control."

She paused at the door, then turned and did a little shimmy, giving the girls a little shake. The towel began tenting almost immediately, and he crossed his hands over the front of himself.

"Pot, meet kettle." Bella laughed. Edward scowled playfully and made as if to drop the towel, and she scurried from the room, giggling as she shut the door behind her.

~888~

The day flew by like a marathon. Edward's mother was a gracious hostess. Despite Edward's warning that they had already eaten, she'd made a Swiss vegetable medley, a rack of lamb, and ambrosia, ostensibly to take to Esme and Carlisle's for later, but she was insistent that they have some. Bella encouraged Edward to eat just a tiny bit since his mother had gone to so much trouble. Elizabeth had even made a pitcher of mimosas, and Bella loved them. So, after they'd eaten, they sat at the dining room table in Edward's childhood home and talked.

"I am not at all surprised that Edward chose law enforcement as a career," Elizabeth said. "Cops and Robbers was one of his favorite role-playing games."

"Ooh, did he have a toy revolver and deputy's badge when he was little?" Bella asked animatedly. Edward looked like he was ready to hurl.

"I do believe he did. They're probably still packed away somewhere in the attic."

Bella laughed. "I can just see little Tony now, wearing his deputy's star, and his tiny gun belt slung low on his little hips."

Elizabeth looked surprised, and Bella wondered if she'd gone too far. Mrs. Cullen's next words reassured her though. "We tried calling him Tony when he was younger, but he always insisted we call him by his given name. Bella, you have achieved a feat that we were never quite able to accomplish."

Looking as if he'd truly had enough, Edward stood up. "Oh, do continue to have your laughs at my expense. I'm going into the parlor to play." And with that, he kissed Bella on the temple and strode out of the dining room.

"That display was just an excuse," Elizabeth said with a smile. "His hands have been itching to tinkle those ivories since you two got here."

"He plays on the upright now at the Center after work sometimes, but it doesn't rival the sound of your baby grand, I'm sure."

"I'm glad to have it. I fear I'd never see him were it not for the piano," Elizabeth said frankly.

"Mrs. Cullen, if that were the case, Edward could have bought a piano by now, or at the very least, an electronic keyboard. It's not like those are things he can't afford on a cop's salary." Bella knew that Edward loved his mother unconditionally, despite how she might have failed him emotionally in the past.

After a brief warm-up, they heard the unmistakable melody of _Claire de Lune_ drifting through from the parlor. Elizabeth looked thoughtful. "And Edward has other resources, which he refuses to tap into for whatever reason. I suppose the piano _has _been his way of keeping tabs on me."

Bella smiled. "Yes, the piano is just the camouflage."

"You're a wise and compassionate young woman for your years, Bella. I don't deserve your kindness, considering my initial reaction to my son dating you. I hope you know how much I regret speaking before getting to know you better." Elizabeth's eyes were moist, and Bella's heart went out to her.

"Forgiven and forgotten. COGS took some of the cultural mores of the "old South" and made it dogma. Aro Volturi brainwashed you and countless others by taking the Word out of context and force-feeding it to you as truth. The God we both know and love is one and the same, and He would never condone a religion that condemns people—like my parents—for loving one another."

Bella had almost said, "like me and Edward," but she was glad she caught herself on that one. Did she really want to declare herself to Edward's mother before she did to him? She really couldn't fathom life without him now, so much so that she was willing to drive a wedge between herself and her father in order to be with him. For the remaining hour, Bella had a great time talking to Mrs. Cullen while Edward played Debussy, Mozart, Bach, and Chopin in the background.

~888~

Memorial Day at the other Cullen household was far more festive. As Bella took in the décor, the finely appointed china and all the trappings of the holiday displayed by Esme, she realized why Alice was such a design maven. She was definitely her mother's daughter. And the two of them together had created an ambiance that could not be matched—complete with patriotic music and red, white, and blue party decorations that regular people couldn't imagine, let alone duplicate. Even as she offered, Bella knew there was nothing she could do to help. Alice and Esme had thought of everything, and Elizabeth brought what was left of the dishes she'd prepared earlier to add to the feast. It was two-thirty when they sat down for a very late lunch.

Bella leaned into Edward, who was seated at her left, and whispered, "We're going to have to run ten miles tomorrow after all this food today."

He smiled sympathetically at her and whispered back. "I know." His eyes brightened considerably. "Or we can burn the calories another way."

Bella blushed almost as red as the stripes on the American flag. "Edward! Your mother is sitting right next to you," she hissed. Although, Elizabeth was occupied talking to Carlisle, Bella didn't want Mrs. Cullen to hear them speaking to one another in thinly-veiled sexual innuendos.

He chuckled softly. "I was talking about dancing, Bella."

"Oh, yeah." Bella took a sip of water, and her heart rate slowed back to normal. She cleared her throat lightly. "And we can swim, too, if you want."

Alice, who was nibbling on a yeast roll while her husband was nibbling on her, didn't miss a thing. "Edward, what are you saying to Bella over there? She's red enough to be considered one of the decorations."

"Alice, what is Jasper doing to you over there?" Edward countered. "Some of us are eating, you know."

"Aunt Elizabeth, Edward is being mean to me," Alice whined.

The elder Cullens found this hysterically funny. Bella and Jasper looked on with bemused smiles as Edward and Alice glared at their parents. "What does this remind you of, Esme?" Elizabeth asked when she was able to catch her breath.

"The vacation we took together in Aspen when the kids were, oh, five and seven." Esme grinned. "Alice and Edward fought like cats and dogs the whole time."

"Yes," Carlisle agreed. "Then after three days of them driving us all crazy, you ladies went off shopping all day and left them with Edward Sr. and me. When you returned, they were asleep in the same bed, and Edward Sr. and I were passed out from a Scotch-induced stupor."

The story created a visual that had them all laughing and telling other stories of the Cullen family past. Before Bella knew it, they were on their way to her parents' home to face the proverbial music. Although she was nervous, she felt buoyed by the fact that she had a great guy sitting next to her. And even with the guilt that had been nagging her as of late, and the discomfort she would undoubtedly experience in order to be with him, he was worth every bit of it.

~888~

When they pulled into the circular drive of her parent's home and parked, Bella was relieved that the only vehicles there were Angela's car and Ira Wilson's catering van. As she and Edward walked hand in hand to the door, her stomach roiled, and she regretted eating at the Cullens'. She tried to smile up at Edward as genuinely as she could, but his dubious expression clued her in that he wasn't buying it. Edward stopped just short of the steps to the front door.

"Bella, baby, you really don't have to do this today if it's going to make you physically sick," he said sympathetically. His hands went to her arms, and he gently massaged the telltale goose bumps away.

"Thanks for offering me a reprieve, but I need to do this today."

"Do you want me to be with you when you tell them?" His hands slid up and rested on her shoulders, massaging them gently.

"No, I think I should do it alone. My dad may need a few minutes to adjust to the idea."

"I just don't want you to feel like you've got to face your parents alone. I'm here for you."

Nervous, her hands clutched his shirt at his waist. "I know, but I think my dad would be more comfortable if I told him first." She took a deep breath. "Besides, then he'll have all evening to get used to it."

Edward brushed her forehead lightly with his lips. "Okay, let's do this."

Bella tried the door; it was unlocked as she suspected. Edward held the door as she walked in just ahead of him. As they entered the foyer proper, she heard her dad's booming voice coming from his study.

"Come on in and make yourselves at home," he said. He poked his head out the door of his study. Seeing it was them, he amended his greeting. "That was for you Edward. I'm sure your _date_ knows this is always home." Charlie offered a hand to Edward and then embraced his daughter.

"As if you need to remind me," Bella teased.

"We got another thirty-five, forty minutes before the other guests arrive. Angela and Ben are out by the pool pestering Ira for his barbeque recipes, and I think your mother is in the kitchen," Charlie said, scratching a phantom itch behind his ear.

"Dad, can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

"Sure," Charlie said amiably. "Come on in." He gestured toward his study door.

Bella smiled up at Edward. "The patio is just out the French doors in the kitchen. You can get there through the dining room or the great room. Go on back and say 'hello' to everybody. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Edward squeezed her hand briefly, and then he was gone. Charlie had already gone back into his study and was standing in front of his desk when she entered. She closed the door and moved to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Is this a sit down conversation?" Charlie asked, his eyes narrowing briefly.

"Yes, it is," Bella said seriously as she sat on the edge of the chair in front of his desk. There was really no getting comfortable for this conversation.

Charlie took his seat, giving her his undivided attention. "What's this about, sweetheart?"

"Dad, I should apologize to you first of all. I wasn't truthful to you about something yesterday, and at church, no less. When you suggested that Edward was my boyfriend, I ignored it and rambled on about other things. The truth is, he is my boyfriend." There, the cat was finally out of the bag.

Charlie smirked. "Your mother and I figured as much."

Blood pooled, dark and telling, under her skin, and Bella's mouth flew open in an astonished gasp. "You knew all along?" The question was like an accusation.

"Your mom has been speculating since the concert. And I went home Saturday after the festival and told her that I thought Cullen was absolutely smitten with you, what with the way he was so protective when Beauvoir practically assaulted you. If he were just a co-worker or acquaintance, he would've deposited you into my care and went on his way, but Edward insisted on personally assuring you got some rest. He was acting like a man who cared, and you responded like a woman who returned those feelings."

"Dad, Edward is really important to me. From the first day we met, I just knew he was different, but we both had other people in our lives as we were getting to know one another at the Center. Then when he broke up with Tanya, I was still dating James, but he didn't give up. He pursued me because he cared for me, and I didn't want to hurt James' feelings, so I stupidly dated them both for a while. But, it's official now. Edward really is the only one I want to be with."

"Do you love him, honey?"

"I think so, Dad. What I feel for Edward is so far beyond anything I've ever felt for anyone else before."

Charlie's face scrunched up a bit, and he looked like he might cry. "I knew this day would eventually come, Bells," he said his voice husky and cracking with emotion. "All I can do is caution you as I always have to guard your heart until you're really sure. As much as that is possible, I suppose."

"Dad, this happened so quickly, it kind of sneaked up on me, and I really haven't had time to guard much of anything, let alone my heart."

"Well, I hope you've, at the very least, been reminded about some things," he said, nodding toward her hands in her lap.

Bella flushed but assured him through her discomfort. "Oh, yes, absolutely. I've told Edward about my commitment, and he knows that this ring will only be replaced by another one."

"And he's good with that, right? I mean, outside of his mother and that outfit she was involved with, the rest of the Cullens seem to be solid, faith-wise."

Bella took a deep breath before answering. "That's another thing I need to talk to you about, Dad. Edward made a profession of faith early in his life, but he was deeply hurt by COGS and his stepfather, who was Aro Volturi's brother. When he came to church with me yesterday, that was the first time he'd been to church since he was fifteen when he went to live with his father in Indiana."

"So, you're telling me that Edward has been totally out of fellowship for more than ten years?" he asked incredulously. It was Charlie's turn to change color. However, his face looked more purple than red.

"Yes," she answered calmly. She needed to diffuse this situation and quickly. "Dad, I know that it looks like I'm missionary dating, but I believe with everything in me that Edward is the one for me, and I don't believe he'll be out of fellowship forever. He went through a lot as a child—a bitter divorce and then emotional abuse by a cult. There is so much about his background that I'm not at liberty to share with you because it's his story to tell, but I believe in him. Edward knows how important faith is to me, and he respects it and is ready and willing to understand it. He doesn't have much faith in the church right now, but I believe with all my heart that this will change."

Charlie's coloring began normalizing as he spoke. "Bella, you know this goes against everything we believe. However, you are an adult, and I can only speak the truth to you, in love, as I would to any other parishioner. This is a recipe for disaster, honey. You are beginning a relationship on a shaky foundation at best. Your fundamental belief systems are polar opposites, and this will color every decision you make in any life you would have together. If you insist on continuing in this relationship, then you will do so against my advice. As much as I like Edward and respect who he is as a man and appreciate everything he's done to make things easier for all of us at the Center, I can't give you my blessing in this situation. I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Hot tears stung her face as she felt her father's words slice through her heart. For the first time in her life, she was doing something that made her ecstatically happy, but her father didn't approve. Usually, Charlie Swan championed her decisions and was the first to offer his support. He had sided with her on her decisions about her college major and even the schools she attended, while Renee would have had her choose a different path. In all of her major life milestones, her father had been firmly in her corner and immensely proud of her. Now that she had made a decision that was one of the most important to her in five years, her father refused to give her his blessing.

"Dad, I am not giving up on him simply because he hasn't fully embraced my beliefs." She brushed the tears away like they were something offensive and stood up, refusing to allow herself to seem any weaker in the presence of her father. "He has given up so much for me, and I have no way to reciprocate but to accept him unconditionally and show him by example that love really can overcome a multitude of sins. Edward was abandoned by his parents when he needed them most. I can't and won't do that to him."

Although she knew that she was in too deep to do so, Bella was certain that if she pushed Edward away now that he had gone all-in with her, it would undo all the progress he'd made, and he'd be lost to the hedonistic lifestyle that he had previously embraced, following the example of his father. For the first time ever, he was allowing a woman to see the vulnerable side of him that he had never been able to show, and she would not be his undoing.

"Baby, you can't heal Edward of all the hurts he sustained as a result of a dysfunctional family. You are way out of your league if you think you can fix him. He needs professional help," Charlie said helplessly.

"Dad, he's getting professional help, and he's already done a one-eighty in so many areas of his life. You probably wouldn't have liked the Edward I met two months ago. He is a different man, now. And I love the man he has become. If he is not welcome here, then neither am I." She turned on her heel to go get Edward and leave. Charlie caught her at the door before she could get it open. He held her fast with both hands on her upper arms so she would have no choice but look into his eyes.

"Bells, please," he pleaded. "Don't leave. Your mother would never forgive me, and I'd never forgive myself. We have not raised you to adulthood to have you become estranged from us. I'd rather have you here in any capacity you're willing to be than not have you around at all. I may not be able to offer you my blessing in your relationship with Edward, but you will always have my love."

"I love you, too, Dad. But I need you to accept the fact that Edward is likely going to be a permanent fixture in my life. I need you to accept him, too."

"Bella, the man has no moral center. I don't want to see you hurt, and you're in for a world of it if you insist on being yoked with him. Your mother and I have no personal frame of reference for that, but we've seen so many go down that road only to be crushed by it. The statistics don't lie."

"Edward is not and will never be a statistic to me, Dad." And with that, she pulled away and angrily left his study.

~888~

**EPOV**

Edward was on the patio enjoying a cold beer with Ben and Angela when he saw Bella enter the kitchen and collapse into her mother's arms. He could see clearly from his current vantage point that she was upset, and it made his blood boil. Setting his beer absentmindedly on a patio table, he quickly excused himself and strode purposefully through the door.

"...just give him a little time, Lovely. He'll come around," Renee said in her soothing motherly voice while stroking her daughter's hair.

"I've always done what was expected of m-me, and the _one time_ I _need_ him to support me, he doesn't," Bella cried.

For a split second, Edward hesitated as he approached, but Renee waved him in. He was attempting to apply the anger management technique that Dr. Levy had instructed him to use, but he was still struggling to keep his temper in check.

"Bella?" he said in a hoarse whisper. He reached out to touch her, and she turned from her mother's arms and into his. Deftly catching her and winding his arms around her, he could feel her trembling as she valiantly fought the desire to full-out sob.

"I-I'm s-sorry, Edward," she stuttered feebly against his chest.

Father of the woman he loved or no, Edward wanted to deck _his holiness Charlie Swan_ right about then.

Renee smiled wryly. "She'll be okay, Edward. This is more stubborn anger right now than anything else."

He stroked Bella's hair with one hand and her back with the other. "What happened?" he asked as calmly as he could. At that moment, he didn't care which one of them answered.

"My bull-headed husband, whom I love very much, has decided for the first time in his daughter's life to withhold his blessing from her," Renee said sarcastically. She composed herself and then spoke again, softer this time. "Believe it or not, Edward, my husband has his reasons for doubting that your relationship with Bella is sustainable. Statistically, the odds of success are quite dismal."

"No offense, Renee, but I'm not a firm believer in statistics and such. If I relied solely on statistics, I'd be a dead man several times over."

"D-don't say that," Bella said, still shaking in his arms.

"Shh," he soothed, caressing Bella's back with both hands. He looked as calmly as he could at Renee. "Is Rev. Swan still in his study?"

He had gone up against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in the Middle East; surely he could face a Presbyterian Preacher and hold his own. Their warfare would not be waged with physical weapons but with words instead. Edward would find those words before he crossed the threshold of the good pastor's study.

"Yes, he'll be seeing guests in from there for the next half hour or so."

"Bella," he said, holding her gently away from his body so he could look in her eyes. Her face was splotchy and wet from previously shed tears and set in anger, but he could see the pain in her eyes and etched in her brow. It broke his heart to see her this way. "Stay here with your mother. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Edward, it's no use," Bella said huskily. "Please—"

"I just want to talk to your father, Bella." For her benefit, he smiled through the anger roiling in his gut. "I promise, it's going to be okay."

~888~

**E/N: Ooh, E's going to have a convo with the Right Reverend Charlie Swan. Wonder what he's going to say? Hazard to guess?**

**My Beta SSHG316 and her bestie in the fandom, GinnyW31, have written a collaboration entitled "Contractually Bound." Please go to SSHG316 or GinnyW31's FFN Profile and read this fic. It promises to be a doozy. Summary: ****She'd cost him everyone he'd ever loved. Surely a few months of marriage wasn't too high a price for her to pay in compensation. Edward/Bella AH. If you like TLC, I'm sure you'll love this story. These ladies are women after my own heart. Let me know what you think.**


	22. Ch 21 TLC: Wild Is The Wind, Part 2

**A/N: ****My betas, SSHG316, Charmie77, acireamos and Savage Woman have my undying devotion, because they are all the epitome of awesome. They take my diamond in the rough that is TLC and make it into something beautiful. I want to especially thank them all this time for laboring over this long chapter, which came in two parts because I refused to push them to work on anymore of my fiction on their weekends. I also want to thank my readers and reviewers for making me believe that my story touches you in ways large and small. Thank you all very much.**

**TLC - Chapter 21 - Wild Is The Wind, Part 2**

**_"The sound of 'gentle stillness' after all the thunder and wind have passed will the ultimate Word from God."_****_ – Jim Elliott_**

**EPOV **

Edward easily found his way back to Charlie Swan's study and walked in without knocking. So much for good impressions.

Charlie was slumped in his chair, looking to the entire world as if he'd lost his best friend. Edward did not have or show any sympathy for him and launched right into what he had to say.

"Rev. Swan, in the time I've known Bella, she's had her feelings hurt repeatedly by an emotionally stunted cop, been physically assaulted by a thug, and now, devastated by her own father. There are a lot of people in this world who might not deserve your blessing, myself included, but your daughter is not one of them."

Charlie's face contorted quickly with anger. "I don't know who you think you are, young man, but you don't come into _my_ home, making pronouncements about what _my_ daughter deserves from me. You've been in her life what, two months? I've loved that child since she was just an idea. What you feel for her is _nothing _compared to the unconditional love I have for her and will continue to have even while she waltzes willy-nilly down the wrong path with the likes of you."

"I beg to differ with your assertion that she's going down the wrong path with me. Bella is the best thing that's ever happened to me in all the twenty-seven miserable years of my life, and by some miracle, she chose me over a guy whose resume reads like you wrote it. She means so much to me now, I would never do _anything_ to hurt her. You may have your theology to back up your belief that we are all wrong for one another, but Bella has made me believe that the changes in my life defy your theological statistics. She saw something in me before I could see it myself, and somewhere in the midst of that, she became _my_ life. I won't stand aside and watch _anyone_ hurt her—not even you."

Charlie stood up so his eyes would be on level with Edward's. "My perspective as a father and a pastor may be blurred, right now, but my advice to her was never meant to hurt her or malign you. Sometimes parents and pastors have to speak the truth, in love, even when it's painful. You may say her faith is alright with you, but what happens when you are faced with a crisis and have to make some life-altering decision? Bella's first reaction will be to pray about it. What would yours be? Let's just say you eventually got married. How do you raise any children you might have together? My assessment of the likelihood of a relationship working between the two of you is nothing personal; it is based on historical data that has been borne out time and again in many such relationships."

"I'm sure people told you and Mrs. Swan something similar when you decided to get married on the heels of the civil rights movement. I would have expected a cult like COGS to have a problem with our relationship, but everything Bella has told me about you, your church, and the way you teach; this was not something I expected from you. I may not have graced the pews of an organized church in a while, but I was embraced by a man of God when I was in the Marines who accepted me and all my baggage with no judgment or intolerance. Wish I could have been able to say the same for you Rev. Swan?" With that Edward was done with his tirade and turned to leave.

"Edward!"

Edward turned back to Rev. Swan to see that his anger had dissipated into a smile that grew until his mustache was two times wider than it had been when he was raging. Then he laughed outright as Edward regarded him with an angry scowl. Edward's righteous indignation had him fuming at his girlfriend's father, who was now laughing in his face.

"I really don't see anything funny," Edward ground out. "With all due respect, sir, what kind of game are you playing here?"

Charlie wiped his eyes that had become moist from his laughing jag. "Believe me; I'm not playing any games, Edward. Close the door and have a seat." Charlie then took his own seat again, got on the phone and hit a button. Edward did as he was asked and sat down, albeit reluctantly. "Honey, can you get the door for a little while? I'm having a conversation with our daughter's boyfriend. It's fine, really.... We just need to get a few things straight. I'll be good... I always am... I promise."

Edward folded his arms, waiting to hear what Rev. Swan had to say, not altogether convinced that he was even sane at the moment. Charlie regarded him with a look that could have been construed as affection, and Edward's brow knitted involuntarily.

"Edward, I am nothing if not an obedient servant of God. And I'll be darned if He doesn't speak to us sometimes at the most inopportune moments. With that said, I just have to tell you that as I was railing at you, I heard a still small voice remind me that I had done the same thing when I approached Renee's father almost thirty years ago."

"No sh— kidding?" Edward was glad he caught himself before the expletive escaped his mouth completely. Rev. Swan gave him a dubious look and continued.

"This was a man who had labored beside my father during the civil rights movement, but who wasn't convinced that I had what it took to protect his daughter from all the ugliness that went along with an interracial relationship. What he failed to realize was that Renee and I were strong as individuals, but we were formidable as a team. When I had the audacity to approach him after his daughter had given him her own particular brand of grief about things already, only then was he convinced that there was something worth pursuing and preserving."

"Rev. Swan, you of all people should be confident in the fact that Bella learned everything she knows from you about compassion and discerning character. She would not jeopardize her relationship with you for just anyone." As he said those words, Edward realized the sheer magnitude of Bella's actions for the first time. Her feelings for him must have run pretty deep if she was willing to drive a wedge between herself and her father to be with him.

"You're right about that, son. Bella has never vouched for anyone as strongly as she has for you. And to be perfectly honest with you, Edward, I don't know how I feel about that, yet."

"Fair enough," Edward agreed. One thing he and Bella had in common was the fact that neither of them had ever been in love with anyone else before. While it might take some getting used to in his family, it would _really_ take some getting used to in her family. Although he hadn't declared himself to Bella yet and neither had she to him, he was certain that what they felt for one another was the real thing. He needed to get this across to Rev. Swan without disclosing this information to him before he did to Bella. "Rev. Swan, I've only known one other person outside of my family that I might consider giving my life for, and that person actually sacrificed himself for me in Afghanistan. Bella is the only other person in the world that I would gladly give my life for."

"Well, if you'd lay your life down for my daughter, then surely you'd be willing to learn about the faith she has embraced since she was six, right?" Charlie asked, undaunted.

"That's one of the reasons I showed up at church with her yesterday." Edward's eyes never wavered from Charlie's.

"Contrary to the impression my previous reaction may have given you, I am not deluded enough to believe that every person who fills the pews on Sunday morning are pure in heart. I also know that there are people who eschew organized religion who are good through and through, but God asks us not to forsake assembling ourselves in worship of Him. As Bella's father and her pastor, I want to make sure that the man she's chosen above all others has the information he needs to make an informed decision about his own faith. Would you be amenable to attending my Men's Bible Study once a week?"

Edward didn't flinch. "Absolutely. Just name the time and place."

"Wednesday nights at the church, seven thirty p.m."

"I'll be there."

"Good," Charlie quipped quickly. "Now, you said that was one reason you showed up at church on Sunday. What was the other one?"

"I think someone's stalking Bella," Edward said without preamble.

Charlie's face drained of all blood until he looked chalky white. "Any idea who or why?"

"I'm guessing it might be Beauvoir or one of his thugs. I haven't been able to see the car or the person up close, but given the altercation on Saturday and his obsession with your family, he's the only likely suspect at the moment."

"So, the charges from Saturday didn't stick?"

"Not well enough to keep him behind bars over the weekend. His lawyer had him sprung two hours after he was booked." Edward found this out on Saturday night while Emmett and Rosalie were over. He'd stolen away for a few minutes under the guise of going to the bathroom and made a call to the precinct.

"What precautions are you taking for Bella's safety?"

"Well, we've been together all weekend," Edward began. Charlie raised an eyebrow, but Edward pretended not to notice and continued. "I won't leave her unprotected until I have an alarm installed in her apartment first thing tomorrow morning. We'll be stepping up awareness at the Center, and I'll be teaching all the volunteers some simple self-defense techniques and arming them all with pepper spray. Most of them already have cell phones, so I'll set up an alert system between everyone and myself."

"Good work," Charlie acquiesced. "But Bella can come home if she's afraid. We have top-notch security in this community, and I still know how to wield a weapon if necessary. I'll mention it to her later when I apologize to her."

Edward 's heart sank. He knew that his weekend with Bella was coming to an end, but it seemed that Papa Swan was bent on ending it prematurely.

~888~

Careful to emerge from Rev. Swan's study smiling, Edward wanted Bella to know that things had gone well for the most part. He felt kind of like he'd sold his soul to the devil, but Bella was worth it. Ben was in the foyer waiting to go into Rev. Swan's study when Edward came out.

"He in a good mood?" Ben inquired.

Edward waggled his hand in a "so-so" motion and clapped Ben on the shoulder. "Don't let him see you sweat," was Edward's whispered advice. Getting a quick glimpse of Captain Black, Mayor Barksdale, and two other gentlemen he didn't know in the living room, Edward opted to go through the dining room to get to the kitchen. He wasn't there to schmooze with his boss and his boss's boss. Bella was his solitary focus right now.

Working his way back to the kitchen, he found Renee with a number of women: two of Deacon Wilson's staff, a tall svelte woman who resembled Renee but looked a little younger, and two other women—all smiling as he entered the room.

"Edward!" Renee exclaimed. "You're smiling. Good deal." Edward was relieved that she didn't ask something more direct like "How did it go?"

The Renee look-alike laughed. "My sister has always been random like that." She moved to Edward and offered him a hand. "I'm Lonette, Renee's _younger_ sister." Her emphasis on younger caused Renee to glare at her.

"Nice to meet you, Lonette," he said, smiling. "Bella and I recently saw _Ghosts of Mississippi, _and she pointed you out on the steps of the courthouse in that final scene in Jackson."

"Not many people know this, but that scene at the end wasn't shot in Jackson. The director re-shot it on a back-lot at the studio because they weren't pleased with it when it wrapped originally," she said with a bright smile. "Good to know that my niece is proud of her Auntie and still watches her one and only foray into Hollywood."

"That was a great only film to be associated with," Edward said cordially.

"Edward, don't let my sister hog your attention. Please meet Marva Barksdale, wife of his honor the Mayor of Tallahassee."

"Mrs. Barksdale," Edward greeted. "I met you briefly last fall at the Annual Policeman's Ball."

"Thank you for reminding me, Edward. I met so many uniforms that night. Everyone began to blend together after a while."

"I can imagine," he said.

"And this is Katie Brewster, wife of my law partner, William Brewster. Katie taught Bella and most of the aspiring ballerinas in Tallahassee ballet during Bella's gymnastics years. She is busy now, bringing other ballet talent to Tallahassee."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Brewster." Edward shook her hand, as well.

After introducing him to Briana and Daphne, who worked with Ira Wilson's catering company, Renee ushered him toward the door. "Bella's fine. And I believe all your friends are here now."

"Thanks." Edward was truly appreciative of Renee and her support.

As he walked out on the patio, he saw Bella surrounded by her family, friends, and neighbors. He gave her a wide smile when she looked up at him with the obvious questions in her eyes. Edward knew she wanted to pounce on him immediately for details but realized that it wasn't a good time. It was all she could do to continue her conversation with an elderly woman, whom he recognized as Bella's Nana from the pictures he'd seen. As he headed for Bella, Emmett abandoned the open bar near the DJ's booth and stepped into his path.

"Bout time you showed up out here," Emmett harangued, handing him a beer. Edward took it gratefully and downed a fourth of it.

"Thanks, man."

"No probs, dude. I understand you probably needed that considering who you've just been talking to. So, did the Rev. divest you of the family jewels, or are you still able to father children after that altercation?"

He glared at Emmett, hesitating briefly before speaking. "Only you could come up with something so far into left field."

Oblivious, Emmett continued. "I'm really impressed with this shindig. I thought we would be served grape juice, pot-luck and little New Testaments as party favors."

"What gave you that idea?"

"I used to go to church at Crawfordville Baptist until I converted to Catholicism with Rose."

"Bella and her parents are not stereotypes." Edward took another swallow of his beer.

"I know, right? Her mom is a Grade-A MILF," Emmett whispered lasciviously, peering at Renee in the kitchen through the French doors.

"If I hadn't already used my 'free pass' with Rev. Swan tonight, I'd kick your ass right now," Edward growled. "Show a little respect, Emmett. Bella's mom doesn't deserve to be ogled by her boyfriend's barbaric friend."

"That was a compliment. I'm just saying old girl looks damn good, and her friend in there ain't half-stepping either."

"Emmett, don't drink anything stronger tonight, okay. I wouldn't want you to embarrass Bella or Rosalie with this adolescent crush you have on her mom and her aunt," Edward deadpanned.

"That other one's Bella's aunt? Dude, you don't have anything to worry about. If Bella's mom and aunt look that good at their ages, you've really picked yourself a winner."

"Emmett, you need some help, and I can refer you to a great therapist. Now shut up or I'm telling Rosalie."

Jasper extricated himself from Alice and joined them. "You must have said or done something really bad if your best man is threatening to tell your fiancée on you, Emmett. What gives?"

Emmett threw his arm over Jasper's shoulder and pulled him in close in their circle. "I was just paying Bella's mom a compliment, and Edward went all monkish on me. Don't you think Bella's mom is hot?"

Jasper chuckled and pulled away. "Oh no, I'm not going there."

"See, you're the only guy here with an Oedipus complex. Get a grip," Edward said, handing Emmett his empty beer bottle and walking away toward Bella, leaving Jasper to counsel Emmett's pervish ass. Bella had moved away from her grandmother and was now talking to Angela, Alice and Rosalie. Judging from the blush creeping onto her skin, they were having quite a conversation. He hoped it wasn't as embarrassing as the one he'd just had with Emmett.

"Hey, young man," he heard a gravelly voice say. Turning, Edward recognized Deacon Wilson from his visit the day before to Bella's church. Edward gestured to himself as if to say, "Who me?"

"Yeah, you," Deacon Wilson said sternly. "Come here a minute, son." Ira Wilson's formerly broad shoulders were slightly stooped and his hair was completely white, a stark contrast to his dark skin.

Cautiously, Edward approached the old man at the grill. "Aw, come on over here, boy. I don't bite 'hard legs,'" he declared, eyes twinkling, and promptly cracked up at his own joke.

Smiling, Edward extended his hand. "Deacon Wilson, I'm Edward Cullen." The deacon shook his hand quickly and got to his true order of business. "You came to church with our Bella yesterday, didn't you?"

"Yes, sir," Edward said. "That I did."

"I thought so. By the way, how did you know my name?" The deacon, whose dark skin was smooth and unwrinkled for a man his age, narrowed his eyes at Edward.

"Bella told me," Edward explained. However, he didn't dare tell the deacon they had discussed his penchant for falling asleep in the service.

"Right, right," the deacon said as he opened the lid on the grill and began turning the succulent meats and removing some of same into a warmer. He squinted up at Edward. "You call yourself sweet on Bella or something?"

Edward smiled and opted for the truth. "Yes, you could say I'm definitely _sweet_ on Bella."

"That's all well and good," the old man allowed, "but if you hurt her, I'm gonna come after you with my shotgun, you hear?"

"Get in line, Deacon. Half of Tallahassee has already vowed to run me out of town and string me up on her behalf."

"All right, then. I just wanted to make sure you knew the score." Ira Wilson closed the grill and smiled a big toothy grin. "And now that you're 'In like Flint' with the family, so to speak, you can talk to her Nana for me, okay?"

Edward laughed. "I'll see what I can do, Deacon. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go spend some time with my beautiful girlfriend."

Edward shook his head. It seemed the women in Bella's family were not without a bevy of interested men in their lives.

~888~

**BPOV **

Bella watched Edward from the moment he came out on the patio. He didn't look upset or like he was ready to leave, so she gathered that things had gone well with her dad. When Edward had insisted on talking to her dad, she'd been afraid that they would argue and make matters worse. She couldn't imagine what Edward could have said or done to smooth the situation over, considering her father's strongly held beliefs on the subject matter.

After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to join her, Edward was finally headed her way again, and he looked determined not to let anyone else stop him this time. When he was within reaching distance, he took her hand and pulled her gently toward him, winding his arm around her waist. Bella smiled up at him and snuggled into his side.

"Hi, ladies," Edward said, addressing Angela, Alice, and Rosalie at once. "May I steal Bella away from you for a few minutes?"

"Sure," Angela said.

Alice grinned like a proud Mama. "Yeah, cuz."

"Don't you have any other friends around here?" Rosalie objected. She pointed at Emmett, Jasper, and Ben who were still chatting by the bar. "See that group of guys over there? Go. Mingle."

Edward looked crestfallen, and Bella did a double-take.

Rosalie and Alice laughed while Angela flashed Edward a sympathetic smile. "Just kidding, Edward. Can't you take a joke?"

"Yeah, Rosalie, I just... never mind," he chuckled and whisked Bella away toward the less populated side of the pool.

"How did it go?" Bella asked when they were well out of hearing distance of the others.

Edward stopped and gazed into her eyes, lightly cupping her cheeks. "I promised you it would be fine and it is. Your dad's sorry for reacting so harshly. He's going to apologize."

Bella's eyes brightened considerably as she beamed at him. "How did you get him to do that?"

Edward smoothed her hair back behind her ears on both sides. "We yelled at one another. He laughed at me. Then we had a meeting of the minds... and I agreed to attend his Men's Bible Study on Wednesday nights."

Her smile faded into concern. "And you're okay with this deal?"

"Bella, I would make a deal with old slew-foot himself to be with you," he said, pulling her close.

"I wouldn't want you to go that far, but thank you for smoothing things over with him." She pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.

"You're welcome. A little heads-up, though. I told your dad about the safety precautions, and he might suggest you stay the night here."

"He can suggest, but that doesn't mean I have to take him up on his offer." She grinned mischievously.

"Come on. Let's enjoy this party, then."

He took her hand and headed back over to their friends who were now dancing. The DJ had cranked up the volume on the stereo and began to play Charlie and Renee's favorite disco tunes. Even Bella's Nana was dancing with Emmett. Bella followed Edward into the dancing crowd and quickly introduced Edward to her Nana.

"Nana, this is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. Edward, my Nana, Emily Higginbotham."

"Hello, Edward," Nana shouted, not missing a beat. "I'll have to chat with you later because Emmett and I are cutting a rug!" And with that, she allowed Emmett to take her hand and spin her slowly around.

~888~

Bella talked her Aunt Lonette and Uncle Jarvis into spending the night with her parents, so she could gracefully bow out of her dad's invitation. Her cousins Micah and Josiah were happy to do so because, while they liked spending time with their Nana, they much preferred all the neat things they could do at the Swan house. Charlie had been contrite and promised that he would make every effort to accept Edward as a serious contender for Bella's heart, but his overarching goal was still to help Edward overcome his aversion to the faith.

It had been a long arduous day, and Bella might have thought they would both have been tuckered out, but found Edward and herself oddly keyed up when they reached his apartment. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that this was their last night together at his place, and they were going to milk it for all it was worth. He put on one of their favorite CD's, Nina Simone's _Wild Is The Wind_, and opened a bottle of sparkling wine. They lounged together on the sofa, Bella resting comfortably in the crook of his arm.

"I still can't get over how you convinced my dad that he was overreacting about our relationship."

Edward shrugged his shoulders slightly as he took the wine bottle out of the ice bucket and poured them each another glass. "I don't want to dwell on the _how_, but more aptly _that_ it was accomplished."

She touched her glass to his, and they took a sip of the freshly poured _Asti Spumante._ "To your awesome negotiating skills."

"To you," Edward said, touching his glass to hers in response. "And your willingness to accept me despite your father's misgivings."

After they finished sipping their wine, Bella took Edward's glass and her own and set them on the cocktail table. Craning her neck, she pressed her lips to the dimple in his chin. It was her second favorite place on his face to kiss after his lips. Although this time, she took things a little further and touched the indentation with the tip of her tongue and then gently suckled. Edward groaned and reached for her, somehow turning her so swiftly that she was on his lap before she could get her bearings.

He bent his head to hers, and their lips collided like magnets, his tongue immediately seeking, searing, and savoring hers. One hand slid around the back of her neck and into her hair to cradle her skull so their mouths could remain fused. His other arm went around her slim waist to pull her even closer to him. Her hands automatically went to his broad shoulders, and she clutched them frantically for support. The kiss produced an intense flood of desire flowing through all of Bella's veins. This time she moaned, but it did not escape her lips because, somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she knew that one of them should break the kiss. Neither of them did. She felt stunned and confused at the same time; she could feel herself begin to tremble in reaction to his intoxicating maleness. At last, Edward pulled back, and Bella looked up into his amazing green eyes that were burning, reflecting a fire she felt deep in her core.

The title song, "Wild is the Wind," began to play, the discordant piano keys marking the start of her personal favorite. "I love this song," she breathed raggedly, her voice cracking nervously.

Edward stood up, stretching his lean, hard body out to its full six feet three inches, and extended his hand to her. "Dance with me?" She nodded eagerly and took his hand. Edward helped her to her feet effortlessly and took her into his arms. He melded her soft form to his dense muscular one as Bella's heart vaulted in her chest, and her stomach simultaneously did somersaults. Would she always react so strongly to him?

Nina crooned, it seemed, just for them.

_Love me, love me, love me, say you do._ _Let me fly away with you..._

As they slowly moved together, Bella was reminded of the first time they had danced together at Cafe Cabernet. However, this time she was glad they were not in the company of others. As Nina's plaintive wailing continued, it was as if he were making love to her to this hauntingly beautiful music. A very hard part of him was making her want to move against him restlessly, but she settled for the light kisses he feathered over her face, in her hair, and on her lips.

_For my love is like the wind, and wild is the wind..._

Bella felt him press her closer, his hands traversing every inch of her back with sweeping caresses that spanned from her shoulder blades to the curve of her bottom. Her head lay on his chest, hearing the thumping of his heartbeat in one ear and the crooning of Nina Simone in the other. Her fingers danced over the muscles on his back, daring to take the same liberties he had and go lower.

_Give me more than one caress. Satisfy this hungriness..._

Edward held her so close that as he moved, her every muscle and limb moved in tandem with his, creating a glorious friction that sent frissons of delight throughout her body. She could feel the warmth of his skin through their clothing. The peaks of her breasts pebbled and seemed to strain to touch the muscles undulating on his chest.

_Let the wind blow through your heart, for wild is the wind..._

She felt his breath at her ear, and he blew gently before touching his lips to that sensitive place right behind her ear. Bella moaned and pressed into him, reaching her arms up and around his neck. Edward's hands moved from her lower back to her hips where he squeezed, and the gentle rocking of his pelvis against her own made her weak in the knees. But he held her so carefully, she didn't worry about falling. Following him was so easy because he was such a skillful dancer and so strong. Any missteps she might have made due to her body's traitorous reactions, he anticipated and guided her along gracefully.

_You, touch me. I hear the sound of mandolins..._

Their eyes locked as Bella stroked the tendrils of hair at the nape of his neck. He pulled her closer still until his mouth hovered over hers, but he didn't claim her yet. Instead, he kissed her lightly on each cheek, leaving a tingling that sent spirals of warmth through her body. As if on cue, he finally brought his mouth to hers as Nina sang the next refrain, not missing a beat. He continued to move them along with the music as they lost themselves in the kiss.

_You, kiss me. With your kiss, my life begins..._

Bella opened her mouth further to give him greater access. His tongue probed her mouth thoroughly, beginning a slow mating ritual that was equal parts tormenting and satisfying. When he kissed her like that, it effectively robbed her mind of the ability to form rational thought, and all she could do was moan with pleasure and ride the waves of desire that assaulted her body as they moved sensually with the music.

_You're spring to me. All things to me..._

Obviously, Bella had not been paying close attention, because when she opened her eyes again, they were approaching the bedroom door. Edward lifted her one hundred fifteen pounds like it was nothing, and she wound her arms tighter around his shoulders and her legs around his hips. Supporting her bottom with one strong arm, he opened the door and danced slowly over to the bed, holding her firmly with both arms and kissing her until her head spun. At some point, his legs met the resistance of the bed and he laid her down gently. She let her legs fall open as he climbed between them and hovered to kiss her deeply, yet again.

_Don't you know you're life itself. Like a leaf clings to a tree..._

Boldly, she pulled him down to rest some of his weight on her, the heat and hardness of his arousal making exquisite contact at the apex of her legs. They gasped in unison and continued the dance now that they were horizontal, straining to create the hot friction that would bring them their release. Their lips never parting, they took turns squirming out of their tops. Bella opened her eyes only when Edward's hands found the clasp on her bra, and she raised herself briefly to let his fingers do their magic. Slipping quickly out of it, she felt like singing along with Nina when their naked chests touched, her nipples hardening as he brushed them gently with his firm pectorals.

_Oh my darling, Cling to me..._

She could feel the wetness pooling in her underwear, but she didn't care. The throbbing need in her center required sating, and Edward knew just what to do to get her there. As their kisses and caresses grew more urgent and sure, their lower bodies continued the dance almost without thought. Edward assaulted her neck first with his warm mouth, kissing and carefully sucking until she was almost insane with need. When his mouth finally descended to suckle her breasts, he was there only a few seconds before she found her release, screaming his name in a loud guttural moan. Edward quickened his pace, the sensual movements of his pelvis against her own, and she felt him grow infinitesimally harder as he thrust repeatedly against her warmth.

_For we're creatures of the wind..._

Clutching his shoulders and pulling his torso back down to her, Bella found a pulse point at his throat and sucked in, reveling in the slight saltiness of his skin. Edward moaned and increased his pace, yet again. Getting a brief flash of inspiration, she wet her thumbs with her tongue, splayed her hands out on Edward's chest, and found his nipples. As she swirled the pads of her thumbs across his hard nipples, he finally found his release, collapsing slightly onto her body and claiming her lips in one final hungry kiss.

_And wild is the wind, so wild is the wind._

Bella felt like the kiss would go on forever, but then he finally released her swollen lips. When she opened her eyes this time, Edward wasn't smiling, but looked almost gravely serious.

"I love you so much, Isabella Swan."

~888~

E/N: Don't you just love Copward? Our boy has come a long way, hasn't he? Show him some love by showing me love ;) Hit the button below, even if all you type in is a smiley face or a frown. At least I'll know you read and either approved, or disapproved.


	23. Ch 22 TLC: From The Inside Out

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**"From The Inside Out"**

**By Hillsong United**

**  
****A thousand times I've failed**

**Still your mercy remains**

**And should I stumble again**

**Still I'm caught in your grace**

**Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades**

**Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame**

**My heart and my soul, I give you control**

**Consume me from the inside out **

**Let justice and praise, become my embrace**

**To love you from the inside out**

**Your will above all else, my purpose remains**

**The art of losing myself in bringing you praise**

**Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades**

**Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame**

**My heart, my soul, I give you control**

**Consume me from the inside out**

**Let justice and praise become my embrace**

**To love you from the inside out**

**Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades**

**Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame**

**And the cry of my heart is to bring you** **praise**

**From the inside out, O my soul cries out.**

**~888~**

**"****You foolish people! Did not the one who made the ****out****side make the ****inside ****also?****" – **** Luke 11:40**

**Chapter 22 – TLC: From The Inside Out**

**BPOV**

As Nina Simones' voice faded and the song ended with its resounding piano flourishes, Bella was speechless. _Edward just told me that he loved me!_

It was altogether beautiful, yet totally unexpected. She had been prepared to wait quite a while for a declaration of love from him, considering his past and all that he had endured. This was astronomical in its implications, and she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the idea that he was comfortable enough with the concept to share his feelings with her so soon. The confrontation with Charlie earlier in the day had convinced her, without a doubt, that she loved him, too—but she had decided to withhold her feelings until she felt he was ready to hear them. Apparently, that time was right now.

Bella's eyes filled with happy tears. She tried with all her might to will them not to fall and failed miserably. Because she was stunned by his declaration, she had not moved or reacted other than to allow her silent tears to leak out of the corners of her eyes. Edward regarded her anxiously now, and she realized that she needed to say something quickly before she ruined the moment.

"I love you, too, Edward—with all my heart," she said, her voice cracking with emotion. Smiling widely, she put her hands on the sides of his face and drew his now smiling face down for another kiss.

Elated, Bella felt like this kiss was the sweetest one they had ever shared because it was preceded by declarations of love. It was gentle and touched places deep within her that no man had ever come close to possessing. Carefully easing his weight off her, Edward rolled onto his side and gathered her close into his arms. His green eyes crinkled at the corners and glistened with emotion as they smiled happily at one another. Bella kissed the cleft on his chin and felt him shiver slightly. She exulted in her ability to affect him so powerfully. But she was affected, too. She could feel it in the sudden staccato tapping of her own heart against her ribcage and in the surge of love she felt for him that was so intense it made her ache. They had achieved an astounding level of intimacy, and if she thought about it too much, it would be overwhelmingly frightening.

He pulled her closer to his chest and murmured, "Bella, you are beautiful inside and out, and you make me so much better just by existing, do you know that?"

"Thank you," she whispered, too delirious to comprehend exactly what he was saying but hoping that her response was appropriate.

"I just need you to know—you're it for me."

Bella felt like it was Christmas morning and she was a little girl again who had gotten everything she wanted under the Christmas tree, except it was magnified about a thousand times.

~888~

Somehow Edward was able to convince ADT to come out before nine on Tuesday morning to install an alarm system in Bella's apartment. When the technician arrived, he seemed just a bit intimidated that Edward was a police officer. The poor guy was so nervous, his hands shook. Edward seemed oblivious as he hovered over the guy, making sure he secured all the windows and doors, and tested the system. Bella stood with her arms folded, watching the spectacle, shaking her head in disbelief as the technician finished up and shook Edward's hand profusely.

As Edward closed the door and secured it, she chuckled. "What?" he asked.

"You had that poor guy shaking in his boots," she said with a smirk.

He splayed his hands out and shrugged. "What did I do?" He had her in his arms in a couple more steps.

"I think your uniform or your presence or something made him a bit uncomfortable during that installation." She wound her arms around his neck and tiptoed to give him a peck on the lips.

Edward pulled her close, careful not to crush her into his service belt. "I just wanted to make sure he did everything properly. I didn't mean to scare the guy," he said sheepishly.

"Must be the authority you exude," she teased. "People just don't know how to take that."

"I thanked him and shook his hand," he protested.

"Yeah, after you dogged his every step and asked a gazillion questions."

Edward grew serious. "I just want to make sure you'll be safe here alone."

She relented with the teasing, smiling ruefully. "I know, and I'm really grateful—really I am. I just hope all this ends up being unnecessary. I don't want to live like a prisoner or like I'm in the Federal Witness Protection Program or something."

"I won't take any chances with your safety, though, Bella. Until we can make sure there isn't a credible threat, these precautions are necessary." He cupped his hand around the back of her head and leaned in to kiss her thoroughly.

Bella melted in his arms, and when he released her, she couldn't help that she was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Love you," she said, the grin growing broader.

He reciprocated with one of his ovary-dissolving crooked smiles. "Love you back, babe."

"You have exactly fifteen minutes to get to Dr. Levy's office," she said, peering around him at the clock on the microwave.

"You remember the codes to arm and disarm the alarm, right?" he asked anxiously.

"Yes," she assured him and began ushering him to the door. "I'll be sure to arm it as soon as you're out the door. See you at the Center in an hour or so?"

"I'll be back so we can drive over together," he insisted.

"Why? I think I can make it to my car without any trouble."

"Just, do it for me, okay? I'll be back, so don't you open that door until I call, understood?"

Bella thought fleetingly about pushing the envelope but decided against it. He looked so anxious, she didn't want to stress him anymore about it. "Okay, see you at 10:45, then."

Edward's relief when she relented was almost palpable. He sighed and caressed her left cheek with his right hand. Bella leaned into his caress and closed her eyes. She was so distracted by his touch, she didn't notice him leave until she heard him running down the steps. Smiling, she clicked the deadbolt into place, armed the alarm, and went back into the kitchen for another cup of coffee.

~888~

"How have things been with you and your mother?" Dr. Levy asked.

_Talk about diving right in._

"Better, now that she's accepted Bella. We actually spent a few hours together on Memorial Day. Now I think I can handle weekly visits with her again."

"Edward, I have to say, I am so impressed with your progress, so far," Dr. Levy said, his pen poised to make notes. "I've been conferring with your mother's therapist, and I think we're ready for some joint sessions. Are you up for that challenge?"

"Um, yeah, sure." He hoped that Elizabeth Masen-Cullen was up to it. And he was saying the words and agreeing to it, but was he really up for it? Only time would tell.

Dr. Levy scratched some notes in his file. "After we smooth out some things with you and your mother, we can concentrate on the most difficult of your familial relationships."

Edwards's throat went dry. Even after all this time, he still couldn't fathom ever talking to Edward Cullen, Sr. again. So much time had passed, and his father had long ago ceased to attempt any contact with him. Why did he have to dredge up all that long buried angst and emotion?

"Is that really necessary? My father has gone on with his life, and I've done the same. Can't we just work with my mother and leave him out of it?"

"Your father's abandonment of you as a teen was probably the most detrimental to you and shaped who you became in your early adult life. You are doing well with your mother, and you're in the first significant romantic relationship you've ever had. I'm afraid if you don't deal with those issues with your father, they may come back to haunt you later." Apparently Dr. Levy thought it was necessary because he wouldn't let it go. "And believe me, you don't want that to interfere in your relationship with Bella."

"Absolutely not," Edward said rather forcefully. "I love Bella, and we've already got enough parental fuckery to deal with right now, not to mention psychotic stalkers."

Dr. Levy chuckled. "Do you realize you just said you love Bella?"

Edward eyed him quizzically. "Yes—"

"Have you shared your feelings with her?"

Edward grinned widely. "Yeah, and she feels the same way."

"Edward, that is _huge_," Dr. Levy said, emphasizing the word huge with an exceptionally long "u." "The fact that you were able to say that so soon to someone despite all that you've experienced is a significant accomplishment. This Bella sounds like an awesome woman. Good for you."

"Yes, she is that and more." He loved Bella in a way he had never expected to love anyone. His feelings for Victoria had been something like deep affection, but when she had pushed for more, he was nowhere near ready to move their relationship to the next level. The first day he met Bella, there was something strong enough to make him pursue a woman who so starkly contrasted his usual type, if he'd ever truly had one. Physically, she could be compared to any number of beautiful women he had dated, but it was who she was inside that eclipsed all of them.

"So, what's this parental fuckery, as you called it, and psychotic stalking you have to deal with?" Dr. Levy propped his chin on his fist and waited for Edward to relate this information.

Edward told him about Rev. Swan's initial reaction to their relationship and about the person who seemed to be following Bella.

"You internalize a lot, Edward, so my advice to you, is to keep an open line of communication going with the good reverend. My wife's father is a pastor, and believe me, there is nothing more precious to them, aside from the relationship with the big guy, than their wives and children. You have to win him over a little at a time by your actions toward his daughter, not words. Just as you did when you confronted him on her behalf this weekend. When this happens, he will be your champion. Also, tell your superiors about this stalker. I know your first inclination will be to handle it yourself, but you're not an island. Others who care and can support you need to be brought into the loop."

Dr. Levy certainly had his number. He wanted to find the bastard who was shadowing Bella and stomp the shit out of him. Dr. Levy made him realize that he needed to do the right thing, follow protocol, and have Bella file an official complaint that would be documented when this moron was apprehended. But, if Edward got to the perpetrator before his colleagues, heaven help the scumbag.

~888~

Summers at the Center were a different format altogether than during the school year. They provided only a reading lab and lunch for the children. For the minority of the children whose parents worked outside of the home and a healthy percentage of those who did not, a nutritious midday meal was a godsend. The Center was able to partner with local vendors who were willing to cater lunch for the children during the summer at little or no cost. Bella had been able to secure some excellent ones this summer that were very popular with the children. The food arrived fifteen minutes after opening, and she was thankful that some volunteers had shown up early to help with storing it until the children came forty-five minutes later.

As she drove to work, she had her personal police escort in the person of one Officer Edward Cullen, who was now patrolling the property. He planned to come by after the children left at one o'clock to meet with her and all the volunteers, and to arm them with pepper spray and self-defense techniques. As much as she wanted to brush everything aside and continue life as usual, she was her father's daughter, and he had always told her it was better to be safe than sorry.

Bella was excited to have Maria and a new guy among the volunteers that would be helping out at the Center. She finished up her paperwork and moved out into the common area to greet the newcomers and brief everyone before the children came. They were all seated at the tables and conversing among themselves. Alice was talking to Sean and Mrs. Williams, but she stopped a second to wink at Bella who was making a beeline for Maria. Maria was in conversation with a blond guy of average height with very patrician features. They stopped talking and smiled as Bella approached.

"Maria," Bella said with an answering smile, "I'm so glad you're here. How are you?"

"I'm good, _querida._ I was just telling Demetri, here, that you guys have a very nice facility, state of the art. I don't believe the county's elementary schools can claim the success you've achieved here."

"I see you've done your homework. It is an achievement that was obtained through much prayer, research, and hard work," Bella said, embracing her briefly. She then turned to the gentleman sitting next to Maria. "Demetri, how did you find out about us?"

"My fiancée and I recently moved back to the area, and we were doing some similar volunteer work in Chicago, so we wanted to plug in here and give back," he said smoothly.

There was something vaguely familiar about him, so Bella couldn't help but ask, "You said you'd moved back to the area—where did you go to school when you were here before?"

"Fairview Middle School."

"That's where I went to school," Bella said. "Oh my gosh, you're Demetri Christos!"

He grinned sheepishly. "I didn't think you would remember me, Bella. It's been so long ago."

"We were only in the same class, went to the same church, and went to the same Summer Bible Camp for three years. Pssh, come here." She gave him a hug. "So, last I heard, your parents moved you guys to Indiana. How did you get to Chicago?"

Demetri looked a little flushed. "Oh, um, Indiana didn't work out, so my dad got another assignment. Jan and I went to college in Chicago, too."

"You and Jan should come visit City of Hope. My dad would love to see you and catch up."

"We'll do that, soon," he said with a nervous smile.

"Well, let me get started," Bella said, backing away from them. "Talk to you guys later."

Bella briefed everyone on the number of children to expect and how the lunch period and reading hour afterward would go. Because they were only open for two hours for the children during the summer, and some of the volunteers worked, they would stagger their time and work the first or second hour so she split them according to their preference. Those who didn't work or had flexible schedules, like Alice and Mrs. Williams, agreed to come for both hours. She also told them about the safety precautions they would be instituting and asked them to hang around after the children left. Everything went relatively smoothly for a first day in the new format, and she was pleased when the last child left for the day. She retreated into her office for a few minutes to freshen up, and when she came out of her tiny bathroom, Edward was there waiting.

Her face lit up. "Hey, you. About time you got here, sheriff. What's happening on the property today?"

Edward smiled, but there was something akin to worry in his eyes. "Mostly the usual. However, Beauvoir was cruising around a while ago in a _gold_ Lexus. I stopped him, but he has a legitimate right to be on the property. Apparently, he is a guest in the home of his aunt, who lives here. Do you know Felina Montes?"

Bella got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Felina Montes is the woman who was ranting on the kids' jungle gym when you first came to work here, remember?"

"Oh, the crazy lady."

"Yeah. I had no idea she was related to Laurent." Bella's brow knit in concentration.

"Apparently, she's one of his mother's surviving sisters, and she was lucid enough today to vouch for him. Bella, this means we really have to be careful. He doesn't have a court date set for what happened last Saturday, yet, but I think you need to file a formal complaint and also get a restraining order drawn up."

"Okay, if you think it's necessary."

"I do, but I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. I'm going to keep you safe until he is put away."

_God, how she loved him._ Bella didn't know what she would have done if Edward weren't in her life right now. Definitely her dad would have stepped up to protect her, but she was so thankful to have someone who cared for her, who could step into the role of her defender against any and all threats. He made her feel safe despite everything that was going on, and she would never take that for granted.

She stole a brief hug and then took his hand. "Come on, the volunteers are waiting for us." When she exited her office door, she let her hand slip away from his. She introduced Edward for the benefit of the new volunteers present and left them in his capable hands for the next hour.

Unbeknownst to Bella and Edward, Maria waited until the others left to speak to Bella alone for a second. She tapped on the doorjamb of the office startling Bella and Edward out of a kiss.

"Excuse me," Maria said with an embarrassed smile. "I just wanted to talk to you for another few minutes, Bella." Then, when she saw Edward's look of irritation, she quickly added, "I promise it'll only be a few seconds."

Bella stepped out of Edward's embrace. "I'll just walk her to the door. Be right back." She followed Maria into the common area.

"Ah, _querida_, so the _polícia_ is the new boyfriend, eh?"

Bella didn't see any point to deny it; she would have found out soon enough anyway. "Yes, Edward is my boyfriend. We just don't advertise it here at the Center."

"I can keep a secret," Maria assured her. "I just wanted to speak to you about James. He took a brief sabbatical a couple of weeks ago, but now he's back. He's been very weird and hard on us for no reason. The Choir members are threatening to quit if something doesn't change. His father, _o sacerdote_, cannot get him to see reason. You have always been able to calm him. I thought maybe you could talk to him."

Bella was saddened to hear how James had descended into bitterness. The least she could do was to try and talk some sense into him, if only for Maria and the choir members' sakes.

"I'll give him a call, Maria," Bella promised.

~888~

Edward took his fifteen minute break and followed Bella home. She was armed with a tiny canister of pepper spray on her key ring, and it felt heavy in her hand as she let herself back into her apartment. She busied herself washing clothes and tidying up since she'd been away for several days. Edward was coming by after he finished up with his group session at the Veteran's clinic, but she missed him already. Angela called and insisted that she was coming by after work and even went so far as to invite herself to dinner because she just had to show Bella something. Unable to dissuade her, Bella relented. She would quite possibly go stir crazy in the apartment by herself before Edward arrived, so it would be nice to have some company. For dinner, she was planning to broil salmon steaks, which would cook up very quickly. Having already texted Edward to make sure he liked salmon, she prepped them and put them back in the fridge.

Looking at the clock, Bella realized that she had about fifteen minutes before Angela was to arrive, so she decided to try and call James. Searching through her contacts on her cell phone, she found his number and dialed him. It rang several times before he finally picked up. She decided that he had looked at her name and debated whether to pick up or not.

"So, Cullen finally let you call, huh?" His sarcasm was biting.

"I am not going to dignify that question with an answer," she shot back.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, or should I say specific form of torture?"

"James, I can be Bella the bitch that broke your heart or Bella the friend who cares about you. Which one do you want to talk to right now?"

He laughed. "Touché," he said, the sarcastic edge completely gone from his voice. "You always did take me by surprise, Bella. There is nothing Cookie Cutter Christian about you. It's what I liked most about you."

"I've been hearing things. Are you taking care of yourself?"

"Hearing things? Define 'taking care.'"

She decided to just ask him point-blank. "Are you clean, James?"

"Way to get to the heart of the matter." He paused and expelled a breath. "I am not using anything hard. I've been having a few drinks from time to time to take the edge off."

"Think about where this is leading. If you don't get a grip, you could descend into that dark place where you were in Atlanta, and I know you don't want that."

"What I wanted was you, and you abandoned me. Don't try to tell me what I want." His righteous indignation set Bella's teeth on edge.

"You can do one of two things. You can continue this downward spiral of self-destruction, or you can stand up and be the kind of man I know you to be. Your mom, dad, and sister love you and wouldn't want you to travel down that path again. You will eventually regret you had feelings for me and wonder how you could have let that destroy what you have taken years to build back up again. Your choir is threatening mutiny—think about them. What is it that you're feeling that won't let you shake this, James? I know you can do it. You just need to stand firm."

"I mean, beyond the overwhelming feeling I get sometimes to challenge Officer Edward Cullen to a duel, I am standing the best way I know how. I just can't deal with losing you to him."

"James, if you think about it, I was never really yours to lose. I'll be the first to admit, it was a colossal mistake on my part to date you both, because someone was destined to be the odd man out. It's done now, and we can't take it back. But what we can do is move forward. You have so much to offer a good Christian woman—"

"Yeah, right," he snorted.

"I mean that. Come on, you can't convince me that there isn't someone out there for you. I know of at least one woman at Reformed Baptist who is a spitfire and would be perfect for you."

"Well, I haven't met her, and it's safe to say I've met every single, young professional there. You know how it is—they are all fresh out of college, embarking on a new career, and the only thing that will round everything out is a husband and 2.5 children. They are insufferable because they are all cookie-cutters, Bella."

"I beg to differ. Maria Teixeira is awesome. She is not cookie-cutter—she's Portuguese for goodness sake. And for what it's worth, she likes you, James, even though you have made her existence holy hell over there."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I've got spies at Reformed Baptist," she said conspiratorially.

"I believe you." He sighed deeply. "Bella, thank you for calling. Really. I have missed you."

"I've missed you, too. Sorry I haven't called until now, but I've been so busy the last few weeks. Promise me that you'll stop drinking, and when you get to feeling blue, you'll pick up the phone and call your sponsor, Jasper, or me, okay? We all love you, you know."

"Okay, promise."

"And apologize to Maria and ask her out."

"I don't know if I can keep all of the second part of that promise, just yet. But I do owe my entire choir an apology. Dad tried to force me to do it, but I was too stubborn to acknowledge that he was right. Thankfully, he hasn't threatened to fire me yet. I really need to make things right between us."

"Yes, you do."

~888~

Angela arrived right after Bella finished talking with James. She breezed in and hugged Bella tightly.

"Weirdest thing," Angela said, adjusting her glasses and scrunching up her nose.

"What?" Bella closed the door behind her.

"I think I saw James Hall downstairs in his car talking on his cell phone."

"Get outta here!" Bella was incredulous. "I just got done talking to him before you rang the doorbell." She opened the door and stepped out to look around.

Angela was looking over her shoulder. "You see him? He was parked right over there." She pointed.

"No, he must be gone." Bella felt a bit uneasy. She believed that they'd had a cathartic conversation. If that were the case, why was he hanging around in her parking lot? Was he coming to see her before Angela showed up? Had he done this more than once? She didn't often curse, but she did so in her mind, and this the second time, no less, in a day. _Shit, I can't tell Edward this; he'll go ballistic._

"Hope _he's_ not stalking you."

"No, I think he must have been on his way over here when I called him, but after we talked, maybe he thought better of it."

They went back into her apartment, and Bella bolted the door. Angela kind of pirouetted and then presented her hand to her sister to peruse her new engagement ring. It was an exquisite round solitaire with baguettes on either side. It was as delicate as Angela herself.

"Oh my gosh, Ange, when did this happen?"

"Right after your parents' barbecue."

Bella was embarrassed, but they did the whole jumping up and down and squealing girly thing. Good thing they were in her apartment and nobody could see them. When they calmed down, she had more questions.

They moved over to the sofa. "So, I want some deetz. How did this happen?"

Angela obliged. "On the ride home, Ben got all serious and began to remind me of how he first told me that he loved me. Remember? We were in the car together in Destin during Spring Break?"

"Yeah, I remember that. So he asked you in the car?

"Yes, and Bella, it was perfect because he had hung the ring on a ribbon from the rearview mirror, and I swear, I didn't even notice it until he reached over and slid it on my finger. I was so excited, I pulled it down and broke his rearview mirror!"

Bella laughed so hard, tears came to her eyes. Angela joined in, and they doubled over and laughed for what seemed like forever. "Okay, so how did he take the breaking of his rearview mirror?"

"Um, he was really very sweet about it. I mean, I apologized profusely, but he was just so happy I said 'yes,' he didn't make a big deal about it. Your dad already knew, so we went back in and told your mom. I called you here and on your cell, but you didn't pick up."

"Oh, I was at Edward's."

Angela raised a brow. "At Edward's?"

"Yeah, you know that whole Laurent thing on Saturday really spooked him, and a couple of times we've spotted a car around that might be following me, so he didn't want me here alone until I got an alarm installed." Bella gestured toward her new alarm system.

"Maybe James is the stalkeratzi in the car."

"There has to be another explanation for him being here. I'll just call and ask him. He won't lie to me."

"If you insist. Hey, so tell me, how many bases have you rounded with His Royal Hotness, hmm?" Angela asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"We've ventured maybe halfway past second," Bella mumbled.

"And?"

"Our chemistry is lethal." Angela squealed as Bella said the words. "And he told me that he loved me last night." As Bella finished the rest of her words, Angela gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth. Then she lunged at Bella, and they fell over and off the sofa and onto the floor, giggling like they were little girls again.

Angela recovered first and sat up. "Oh Bellaboo, I'm so happy for you! I didn't think Officer McGorgeous would go there for a while, but he has confounded us all."

"Tell me about it. I knew without a doubt that I loved him when he stood up to Dad for me, but I had no idea he was there yet until he said it."

"Okay, now it's your turn for deetz, sister girl. How did it happen?"

"Oh, he opened a bottle of Asti, and we danced to _Wild is the Wind_, which kind of morphed into a steamy make out session, and he said it after."

"After Nina Simone and the big 'O'—tell me that he's said it again since then," Angela said anxiously.

"Yes, multiple times," Bella reassured her. "Why?"

Angela took a breath. "No worries, it all sounds completely legit, then. It's just that sometimes people say things in the throes of passion that are confused with the real deal."

"Oh," Bella said helplessly. Although she didn't want to do so, she worried if Edward had said the words too prematurely.

"But that doesn't sound like the case with you and Edward," Angela hastened to add. "Considering his past, his ability to say the words at all is tantamount to a miracle."

"You really think so?" Bella asked in a small voice.

Angela locked eyes with her sister and grasped her arms. "Bella! Listen to me. Edward loves you. Enough with the doubts over something I stupidly said without thinking."

"Okay. Are you ready to eat, then?"

"Starved," Angela admitted quickly. "What's for dinner?"

"Salmon steaks, rice pilaf, asparagus, and Caesar salad."

"Yay!"

"Go on in and help yourself. I'll be right there."

Angela moved into the kitchen, and Bella retreated to her bedroom. She dialed Edward.

"Baby, I was just thinking about you," he said when he answered. She could hear the smile in his voice.

"I was just thinking about you, too," she said. "And talking about you with Angela."

"I'm glad she's there with you. No sign of any weird cars hanging around that you've noticed?"

"No, not really." She cringed because she'd just lied to him by omission. "I just needed to hear your voice."

"Oh, baby, I love you so much. Can't wait till my session is over so I can say it to you in person." Bella released a deep breath that she had apparently been holding since she'd called him. She was prepared to tell him not to come by because she needed some time alone to think. She was so glad she didn't. He really did love her—he had to, he was saying it so much. God was so good.

"I love you, too," she said through a sob that escaped her lips before she could catch it.

"Bella, are you okay?"

She laughed then at how silly she was being. "Yes, I am now. I just can't wait for you to come home to me."

~888~

Over the next several weeks, Bella was reassured time and again that Edward indeed loved her, truly, madly, and deeply. Had she not been just as crazy for him as he was for her, it might have been stifling, they were together so much. They took morning runs together every other day, then went house hunting for Edward with his mother's real estate agent friend, Gina, until they had to go to work. Then in the evenings, he either had group on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or Bible Study with her dad on Wednesdays. They would enjoy a meal together at his place or hers and occasionally invite Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, or Angela and Ben to hang out with them. Of course, they began their weeks now attending church together at City of Hope, a development that Edward had taken to as if he had not been away from it for years. Then the cycle of their weekly activities would begin again.

Edward was determined to get out of Victoria Grand and the minefield of former hook-ups and future hook-up hopefuls who inhabited that apartment community. Bella was ecstatic that he was leaving. As long as she lived, she never wanted to encounter another woman who had been intimate with her man again. Although she knew the past was past and wouldn't hold anything against him that transpired before she had come along, it was really difficult for her not to be jealous that they had seen parts of him that she hadn't and touched him in ways that she could only dream about. It was disconcerting, and while she knew she and Edward could only go so far if she were going to be true to her commitment, that knowledge did more to undermine her confidence in her ability to abstain than anything. While she said her usual prayers for the children at the Center, for her family, her friends, for Edward, and for spiritual growth, she prayed for strength more than anything these days. Edward was a heady cocktail of liquid sex, and he laid waste to her defenses whenever he was in close intimate proximity to her. They made the conscious decision to have their friends around—a lot—because being absolutely alone was getting difficult, to say the least.

For Edward's birthday, they went to Destin for the weekend with their friends and stayed in Bella's parents' timeshare. Bella and the girls were relaxing in chaise lounge chairs on the pristine white, sandy beach, drinking their second round of frozen daiquiris that Alice had whipped up for them in the blender. The guys were fooling around in the water on boogie boards.

"Okay, Bella," Rosalie said, apropos of nothing. "You're the only one among us who isn't formally attached yet, so I want you to always remember this, while you're reeling your man in."

Rosalie was referring to the fact that it was official now that all of Bella's closest friends in Tallahassee were now either engaged or married, since Ben had finally popped the question and Angela was sporting a beautiful round solitaire on the fourth finger of her left hand. The girls had all congratulated Angela and fawned over her ring like the girly girls they were, and now Rosalie was holding court.

"LITS FITS," Rosalie continued with a smirk.

"LITS FITS?" Bella repeated.

"Yes," Rosalie affirmed. "Always remember to be a 'Lady in the streets,' but a 'Freak in the sheets.'" They all laughed.

Angela's brow crinkled. "Wait, isn't that like an old song?"

"Yeah," Bella said. "That Usher song."

"Thanks for that tip for Bella, Rosalie," Alice said. "But I've practiced my own version of LITS FITS since Jasper and I have been married. When we lived in Washington State, a little old church lady told me that the marriage bed is undefiled. What she meant in church-speak is 'Get your freak on.'"

"Thanks, Missy Elliott." Bella giggled before turning to Alice and Rose and saying, "I'll remember both 'Get your freak on' and LITS FITS."

Bella watched Edward from the moment he emerged from their room in his bathing suit. She just couldn't get enough of him, and wet Edward was all sorts of win. After horsing around in the ocean for about an hour, it looked like Edward and the guys had had enough and were making their way toward them. Edward got to Bella first, and she smiled up at him and handed him a towel. He grinned back, zeroing in on what Rosalie was saying.

"Don't thank me for LITS FITS, girls. That little acronym is actually ninety percent courtesy of Ludacris from that Usher hit. I just made it my own."

"Do I dare ask what LITS FITS is?" Edward inquired.

"You could," Rosalie said. "But that doesn't mean we're gonna tell ya."

"Gee thanks, Rose." Bella scooted over, and he joined her in her chaise.

"You know, you've got it bad, haven't you, Cullen?"

"Hey, I can't help it if Em is falling down on the job in the area of showing you attention."

"Ooh," they all said in unison.

"Don't you go getting me in trouble, Edward," Emmett complained as he grabbed a beer out of the cooler. "I do that enough myself."

Undaunted, Rosalie folded her hands nicely in her lap and smiled sweetly at Edward. "You know I'm going to get you back, right?"

"I'm shaking in my wet swimming trunks," he said, making himself shiver for effect.

Bella protested in mock annoyance. "No fair! I wanted to make you shake like that."

He wound his arms around her, squeezed her, and shivered again, shaking her with him as he kissed her temple. Bella cringed and giggled.

Before they realized what was happening, Rosalie was hovering over them. She grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her up as soon as Edward released her and before he could say anything. "Come on Bella, there's a boutique here in Destin I need to check out for some items for the wedding. No time better than the present to get that done."

"Hey—" Edward protested. "But it's _my_ birthday weekend!"

"She's _my_ maid of honor and I need her, now. We'll see you guys in a couple of hours." And with that she turned to walk away, Bella trailing helplessly along with her. "Payback is a bitch, isn't it, Edward?"

~888~

Bella and Rosalie had been gone three and a half hours before Edward began to worry, and he called Bella's cell. It was about a half hour before they had all agreed to go out to dinner together, and they weren't back. Bella didn't pick up. Ben, Angela, Alice, and Jasper were playing cards at the dining table, while he and Emmett were half watching a basketball game on television.

"Hey, wonder what's keeping them so long," Edward said. "I'm going to kill Rosalie."

"Then I'd have to kill you, then Bella would kill me, then she'd probably go to jail. And you know how bad those women's prisons are. Before you know it, she'd be claimed as somebody's jailhouse bitch, cuz she looks so good and all. Mama Swan would bankrupt the Swan coffers trying to get her out of prison, and Rev. Swan would die of a broken heart."

Edward looked at Emmett as if he had lost his mind. "You are sick, you know this, right?"

"I just have a vivid imagination," he said and turned back to the TV.

Edward moved to the table and watched the others play cards. Ben was quiet until you got him in a good card game. Somehow this brought the trash talker out of him, and apparently he and Angela were trouncing Alice and Jasper in a game of Uno.

"Come on, Jasper—play, man. I'll be gentle on you this time," Ben was saying. When Jasper played, Ben slapped his card so hard on the table, it rattled. "Oops, I lied," he said, sniggering so loudly, he snorted at the end. Angela rolled her eyes as she threw the couple cards in she had left. While Ben was raking all the cards in to shuffle and deal them, Angela looked up at Edward.

"Did you get Bella on her cell?" she asked, a bit of worry creasing her brow.

"No," he said. "She didn't pick up."

"Rosalie's probably trying on fifty dresses." Alice then mumbled so Emmett couldn't hear, "I told you, she's gonna be a Bridezilla."

"Well, Bridezilla or not, she'd better get Bella back here, and soon. We go to dinner in—" he looked at his watch "—twenty minutes, now."

At that moment, Emmett's cell rang. All eyes turned to him.

"Hey babe," he said in his only volume: loud. "You need to get Bella back here before Edward has a cow or—WHAT! Where are you right now? Okay, we're on our way."

All the blood drained from Edward's face.

~888~

**E/N: This chapter is dedicated to my betas, who work tirelessly alongside me every chapter to get updates to you. They are not paid for this work monetarily, but I try my best to pay them each time with my appreciation, my loyalty, and my love. To ****SSHG316, Charmie77, acireamos and SavageWoman I say: Thank You. **


	24. Ch 23 TLC: Collision Course

**A/N: Readers, you really need to thank my betas profusely for getting you this chapter right on time, considering the cliffhanger I gifted you with last chapter. So, let's have a round of applause for Charmie77, acireamos, SSHG316 and Savage Woman because they really pulled out all the stops to get this out and worked their special magic to make this chapter much more interesting than the lackluster words I served up to them. I can always depend on them to have my back when my mojo goes on hiatus, which it does frequently. I consider my betas as my quartet of muses, because they push me to be better and challenge me when I think something is "good enough" to make it **_**magnificent**_**. Thank you all so very much.**

"_**The really difficult moral issues arise, not from a confrontation of good and evil, but from a collision between two goods." **_

– _**Irving Kristol**_

_**In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. -- Proverbs 16:9**_

**TLC - Chapter 23 - Collision Course**

Edward couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, his panic so acute he could hardly think. It felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach as he listened to Emmett's dazed voice telling him that Rosalie and Bella—_his_ Bella—had been in a car accident. His jaw clenched with fury at hearing that some asshole had done a hit and run, leaving Bella so injured that she'd been sent by ambulance to the nearest hospital. Emmett had barely finished telling him which hospital before Edward was headed toward the door. He waited impatiently, vaguely hearing Emmett explain to Alice and Angela that Rosalie was fine, but that Bella was being treated for a head injury.

He didn't wait to hear Emmett's reassurances that Bella's injuries weren't considered life threatening; he threw open the door and ran to his car, his hands shaking as he pulled out his keys, trying in vain to make his trembling fingers cooperate long enough to unlock the doors. His heart was pounding in his chest, each beat roaring in his ears, blocking out all other sound. His mind played Emmett's words on an endless loop. Head injury. Concussion.

"Edward—"

He glanced up, his eyes barely focusing on his friend's uncharacteristically solemn face. Something warm grabbed his arm, and he looked down to see Emmett's large hands gently removing the Volvo's keys from his shaking fingers.

"I think maybe I should drive. Okay?"

Edward jerked his head in some semblance of a nod, aware enough to know there was no way he could drive in his current state.

The car was silent as Emmett drove the short distance to Miramar Beach. Guilt gnawed at his gut, warring with the panic that seemed to have taken residence there—he should have been there, shouldn't have let her go without him. Given the current situation with Laurent Beauvoir, he should have known better. And now Bella was paying the price for his ineptitude.

He was still mentally kicking himself for letting Bella out of his sight when they pulled up to the Sacred Heart Hospital Emergency Room and parked in the first available parking space. They sprinted toward the door, only to have an Okaloosa County sheriff's deputy stop them.

"Hey, are you Officers Cullen and McCarty?" the stocky deputy asked, stepping into their path.

Emmett stopped, but Edward only slowed, his feet still moving. He was anxious to get into the building—to get to Bella.

"Yeah," Emmett answered the deputy. "I'm McCarty, and this is Cullen. What you got for us?"

"I'm Officer Tom Patton of the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Department. Your fiancées are inside, gentlemen. Officer Hale is in a private waiting room giving a statement to my partner about the incident, as the altercation happened in Destin in our jurisdiction. Ms. Swan is back in the ER suite. I'll take you right to them."

"Thanks, Officer Patton," Edward said quickly, not bothering to correct his assumption that Bella was his fiancée, and they followed him inside the building. "Can you tell us what happened?" Forcing back the lingering panic, he focused his attention on Officer Patton.

"Officer Hale was driving east on 98 when she saw a gold sedan in her rear view mirror approaching them rapidly. She barely had a chance to comment about the reckless driving of the car's occupant before the driver bore down on them and attempted to run them off the road. Officer Hale's expert driving saved their lives. She exited the vehicle as the car sped away and tried to get off a round on a tire to stop the car, but there was too much pedestrian traffic. She was only able to get the first two letters of the license plate number and not very much in the way of a description of the perp. When she reentered her vehicle, she noticed that Ms. Swan was bleeding from her head and called 911. My partner and I, together with the Okaloosa County EMS, responded, and Ms. Swan was transported here to Sacred Heart via ambulance. Officer Hale rode in the ambulance with her."

Officer Patton led them to the room where his partner was questioning Rosalie. Emmett went immediately to her and gathered her into his arms. The officer stood, too, as they entered.

"Babe, I'm so glad you're okay." Emmett's relief was almost palpable as he looked her over to make sure she was all right.

Rosalie found Edward's eyes as she embraced her fiancé. "I'm sorry, Edward. Everything happened so fast."

"It's not your fault, Rosalie. None of us expected anything like this to happen. Emmett or I would have insisted on going with you, had we known. How's Bella? Any word yet?" He didn't wait for Rosalie to respond before he turned to Officer Patton with a demand. "I need to see Bella."

"Sure, I'll take you around to the ER suites. Come on."

"Edward!" Rosalie called. "Whoever it was who hit us—they meant to. They're treating a cut on Bella's head. She hit the passenger side window pretty hard. She fainted once at the scene, but they need to rule out a concussion."

Edward then followed Officer Patton out without another word. Bile was rising in his throat, and he felt like he was about to explode. It seemed that whoever was after Bella was determined to get to her at all costs. He would seriously need to redouble his efforts to keep her safe.

Officer Patton left him at the door. "She's in here, Officer Cullen. Let me know if we can do anything else for you now, hear?"

"Will you send your report over to the Leon County Sheriff's Department, care of Officer Emmett McCarty? Thanks, Officer Patton," he said quickly and strode purposely into the room, his eyes only for Bella now.

She looked small and wan lying on the gurney. Her head was swathed in a pressure bandage, but she looked peaceful in slumber. He made a beeline for her. The nurse in the room addressed him. "Are you Officer Cullen? Bella told me you would be here soon."

"Yes. How is she?" Edward asked eagerly.

"She seems to be fine now. We haven't observed any more symptoms of concussion. She's really lucky Dr. Nielson, our plastic surgeon, happened to be here on call for another case. He took care of the laceration on her head. Scar will be almost undetectable once it heals. An x-ray and CT scan have been taken, and we're just waiting for Dr. Kelvin, the neurosurgeon, to analyze them."

"She is conscious, right?"

"Yeah, she's just napping. I was going to wake her in a few minutes anyway, just a precaution in case she does have a concussion."

The nurse stepped aside, making herself as inconspicuous as possible as Edward approached Bella on the bed. He ghosted his hand over her bandage and smoothed her hair back from her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open as he tucked her hair behind her ear, and she smiled at him.

"Hey, you," she croaked and then cleared her throat.

"Hey, baby," he said with a small smile, then took her hand in his. "How do you feel?"

"I think I'm gonna live," she teased.

The nurse nodded, then smiled and quietly left the room.

Edward briefly squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry. I should have been with you..."

"Please don't beat yourself up about this, baby. You couldn't have known some clown would try to mow us down on the streets of Destin."

"We're just going to have to be more careful then."

"So, this wasn't a random thing?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"It doesn't look like it, but we'll take care of that. You just take care of getting better."

She reached over and placed her free hand on his. "Where's Rosalie?"

"She's in the waiting room giving a statement to the county sheriff."

"She was awesome in the handling of the car and everything. I'm glad I wasn't driving."

"I'm glad she was with you, too. Now I know that I need to get permission from Captain Black to have you ride in my cruiser with me to work."

"Edward—"

"At least until we catch this guy." With eyes that didn't blink or shift from hers, he took her hand in his. His voice was anxiously hoarse. "It would _kill_ me if anything happened to you."

Bella didn't respond with words. She just held her arms open, and he willingly went into them. He felt her hands slide effortlessly into his hair to massage his scalp as she cradled his head close to her chest. His eyes closed as her selfless and unconditional love washed over him. Only Bella made him feel this way. Even though she was hurt, and rightfully he should be comforting her, she was calming him in a way that only she could.

Edward was exceedingly grateful that she wasn't badly hurt, and he shuddered to think what could have happened if the stalker had been successful. It was apparent that someone wanted to harm Bella, and just the idea of it ripped into him like claws. His throat tightened and his eyes stung—he couldn't live without her. She was his life now—she was his everything. Listening to her heart beating methodically beneath his cheek, he found himself doing something he hadn't done since he was fifteen—he was silently thanking God.

His unspoken pleas were interrupted by a rapping on the door, and a doctor entered.

"Excuse me. I'm Dr. Kelvin," he introduced himself cordially.

Edward pulled away from Bella's embrace and shook the doctor's hand. "Edward Cullen."

"Bella, although it's clear from the scene I just witnessed that you two are close, I still have to ask if you're okay with Mr. Cullen being here while I go over your test results."

"Absolutely," Bella said quickly. "Edward can hear whatever you have to say about my condition."

"So, the x-rays and CT scan don't reveal any intracranial hemorrhaging to speak of, which is good. Although the impact did cause some cerebral bruising that warrants us categorizing this as a level I concussion, which, in laymen's terms, is very mild. Even so, it was still a concern that you lost consciousness at the scene, albeit briefly."

"I think I fainted after seeing all the blood," Bella admitted. "I remember being nauseated when I looked down on my shirt and saw it dripping there."

"Not an uncommon reaction. One of your arteries was nicked, and though tiny, they can spew quite a bit of blood in a short period of time." He smiled at her in understanding. "Since you didn't have any other symptoms of severe concussion, we'll need to watch you closely over the next twenty-four hours. I can keep you here overnight, but if you have someone to look after you, we will release you tonight." He looked expectantly at Edward. "She needs to be awakened every hour or so."

"I'll make sure she's taken care of, Dr. Kelvin," Edward hastened to say.

"Well, Bella, the key is to get a lot of rest over the next few days, so the bruising can heal. This is important because were you to have another concussion, it could be fatal. If you have any of the symptoms we discussed before, it's important to get into the hospital right away. At any rate, I'd like you to follow up with your own physician at home in a few days. How's the pain?"

"Just a dull headache right now," she said.

"I'll prescribe some pain meds for you to take with you. Any other questions?" He looked from Bella to Edward.

"No, thank you, Dr. Kelvin," Bella said with a smile.

"Thanks, Doctor," Edward said, shaking his hand once again.

Emmett had taken Rosalie back to the scene to retrieve her car. Edward was grateful when she returned with a change of clothes for Bella. The shirt and shorts Bella had been wearing in the accident were ruined, and Edward wanted to make her as comfortable as possible to get her back to the condo. While they were waiting for the discharge orders, Edward left Bella with Rosalie so he could go out and talk to Emmett.

"Emmett, this was not just some random guy driving recklessly. My guess is, it's the same person who's been stalking Bella."

"Yeah, Rose said he was on them so quickly she didn't have much time to react. Whoever it was, he took great pains not to be recognized. In this stifling heat, the perp was wearing a baseball cap pulled low over the forehead, dark shades, non-descript clothing, gloves, and a hoodie. She's not even sure of ethnicity, given all the cover-up." Emmett had effectively given him all the information he didn't get from Officer Patton's account of the incident.

"The bastard just let us know he's serious, and I'm about to let him know I am, too," Edward pronounced grimly.

~888~

Leave it to Alice to somehow use a near death experience as an excuse for a party. Bella was adamant that they not curtail their fun on her account, and Alice was equally adamant that Bella wouldn't be left out of any of their fun. Having missed their dinner reservations, Alice and Angela ordered a feast of carry-out foods, something to satisfy every palate, while Jasper and Ben took care of replenishing drinks and renting a couple of movies from Blockbuster. The girls fixed Bella a makeshift bed on the loveseat, and she was lounging on it while Edward sat on the floor in front of her.

Rosalie brought Bella three magazines and some grape juice dressed up with a miniature umbrella.

"What's this?" Bella asked.

"Oh, just making your juice fancy. And people who are ordered to rest need reading material." Rosalie looked considerably uncomfortable with her exceedingly sweet gesture, so Bella put her at ease very quickly.

"Thanks, Rosalie."

Rosalie smiled and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Alice sauntered in, strategically placing balloons around the room.

Edward snorted. "Alice what are you doing?"

"We're simultaneously celebrating your birthday and our thankfulness that Bella and Rosalie came through today's ordeal with their lives," she explained as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

"Dr. Kelvin really wants Bella to rest. Mild though it may be, she did suffer a concussion."

Bella decided she'd better intervene, or they would be arguing like adolescents.

"I feel fine right now, and when I begin to feel tired, I'll go to bed." Edward looked searchingly into her eyes. "I promise," she assured him.

"Okay, all the food is set out on the countertop in the kitchen. I think Angela's making a plate for you, Bella," Alice said as she placed the final balloon bouquet on the cocktail table near Bella's head.

"I could have done that," Edward said, getting up. "I'll be right back with some food for you, baby." He joined the others in the kitchen picking over the food.

Alice smirked. "Who is he, and what have you done with my cousin?"

Bella giggled. "Oh, that guy? He's Edward In Love 1.0."

Alice's jaw dropped. "I knew there was something. You've got to tell me these things as they happen."

"Sorry, Al. I've just been basking in the glory of it all. I really love him, too."

"Bet you won't doubt my prophetic gifts again anytime soon, now, will you?"

"Not in a million years."

The phone in the condo rang, and Alice picked it up.

"Hello, Mrs. Swan," she said, looking at Bella with widening eyes. "Yes, Mrs. Swan. She's right here, Mrs. Swan." Alice held her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone briefly before she handed it to Bella. "It's your mother, and she's not happy with us right now."

Bella reluctantly reached for the phone so she could take the brunt of her mother's ire. She had not thought to call them in the midst of everything happening, but apparently someone had.

"Hi, Mom," she said brightly. "I was going to call you—"

"When, lovely?" her mom inquired sweetly. "After you got back to Tallahassee?"

"I'm sorry, Mom." When in trouble with Renee Swan, apologize profusely. "The accident wasn't very serious, so I thought I would wait and tell you about it tomorrow."

"Sweetie, you bled and you have a concussion. If that's not serious, I don't know what is."

"But I was treated, and now I'm resting. We'll drive back home tomorrow evening as planned. We do have jobs to come back to Monday morning."

"Not so fast, missy. You have a job to come back to, but not on Monday morning. Your doctor said for you to rest, and that's what you'll be doing. Let me speak to that boyfriend of yours, right now."

Bella cringed. "Edward!"

Edward came tearing out of the kitchen like there was a fire. "What, baby? Are you in pain? Can I get you something?"

Bella held the phone out to him with a stiff arm. "My mother wants to talk to you."

His brow creased, but he took the phone and brought it to his ear.

"Renee?" He propped one fist on his side with his free hand, as he held the phone to his ear. "Yes, ma'am.... Of course, I understand." He paused, clearly in listening mode as Renee continued. "That might not be a bad idea until I clear it with Captain Black for Bella to ride to the Center with me in my cruiser, and it will give me peace of mind to work on finding out who was in that car.... Yes, give Reverend Swan my regards, as well, and please tell him that we have three law enforcement officers here, myself included. We won't let Bella out of our sight.... Thanks. Goodbye now."

"What did you just agree to?" Bella asked, eyes narrowed.

"Your mother wants you to come home for a couple of days to rest when we get back tomorrow."

"Oh, nooo!" Bella was not happy with this turn of events. She was hoping to stay at her place, or Edward's. Since the accident had put a serious dent in their fun, she wanted to be with Edward alone to give him his birthday present.

Edward sat on the edge of the loveseat next to her with an arm on either side of her. He was trying to dazzle her, and while it was awesome to behold, she was doing everything in her power to ignore it, so she could get her point across.

"I don't want to stay with my parents, Edward."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, he kissed her softly on the lips.

"We still haven't celebrated your birthday, just the two of us," she reasoned.

He kissed her softly again.

"And I think I'll be fine to go to work on Monday."

This kiss was deeper and began to melt her defenses. In fact, it sent her nether parts throbbing for him in a staccato rhythm with the pounding in her head.

When he let her come up for air, she sighed. "You don't play fair at all, baby."

"I know," he agreed. "And I never will when it comes to your safety." He adjusted her pillow and stood up. "Angela and I almost had a plate fixed for you; I'll go back and get it." Angela came out of the kitchen at that moment with the plate on a tray for Bella so she could eat without moving from the loveseat.

Edward reached for it, but Angela held it tight. "I've got it Edward," Angela insisted. She made sure the tray was stable and fussed with assembling Bella's food.

Bella looked at the tray with some of everything they'd ordered on it, including a piled-high plate, a bread plate, and bowl full of this and that. "Um, I probably used to eat like a linebacker when I was doing gymnastics, Ange. But this is overkill."

"Well, just eat what you want and leave the rest," Angela said, returning to the kitchen to join Alice and Rosalie in finally fixing their own plates. Edward sat back on the floor next to the loveseat so he was facing her.

Emmett, Jasper, and Ben emerged from the kitchen and found places at the dining room table with plates piled twice as high as Bella's and dug in.

Bella was overwhelmed and didn't know where to start, but she picked up her fork and tasted the shrimp alfredo as Edward looked on. "Mmm, this is really good. Why don't you get a fork and just eat some of this? I'll never eat it all."

Between the two of them, they polished off all the food, and Edward took the tray back into the kitchen before joining her on the loveseat. He actually made himself her cushion as he deposited her on his lap, her back against his chest, her head tucked firmly under his chin.

"Comfortable?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, reveling in feeling his every muscle and sinew that came in contact with her body. "Very."

~888~

From the loveseat, Edward and Bella were able to see and hear everything that transpired as their friends played dominoes and board games, and then settled down later to watch a movie. Bella was only able to make it halfway through the movie. Her head lolled on Edward's chest, and he felt her breathing even out and knew it was time to put her to bed properly. She was already dressed for bed, courtesy of Alice and Angela, despite her earlier protestations. He just had to slip her arms out of her robe.

He was laying her on the bed to do just that when she briefly opened her eyes. "Will you stay with me?"

"Where else am I gonna go?" He removed her robe and tucked her in. "How's your head? It's been at least four hours since your last pain pill."

"I'm okay for now," she said, her eyes drooping a bit. He quickly removed his clothes, her eyes becoming more alert when she got her first look at his bare chest. Despite her earlier ordeal and the exhaustion, Bella fought sleep as she surveyed Edward clad in only his boxers. She held her arms out for him as she had done earlier, and he joined her in the bed and gently pulled her close.

"Baby, you really need to get some sleep," he said, his lips against her hair, peppering light kisses there.

"I will, but you have to kiss me first." She craned her neck in search of his lips and found his chin instead. Bella loved to kiss that dimple in his chin, and it was the most erotic thing to him. She assaulted it with her tongue, and he grew stiff in about two seconds flat. He began humming Taps. Bella didn't need to feel like she needed to fool around with his amorous ass tonight. She needed her rest. He would take matters into his own hands later in the shower, if need be. There was no way he was going to encourage any making out with her in so fragile a state.

"Okay, one kiss, but you really need to rest. Doctor's orders, remember?"

She pouted. "I know, but we're lying down _and_ in a bed. That is technically rest, right?" She wriggled closer to him, and he felt himself become rigid in arousal despite the melancholy Taps song playing in his head.

"Bel—la," he warned in a guttural groan.

"O—kay," she said, stifling a yawn. "I'll be a good girl—tonight. But there's always morning."

~888~

Edward set his alarm on his watch and woke Bella every couple of hours to make sure she was fully awake and lucid. Then he'd hold her until she fell asleep again. She needed more pain meds in the middle of the night. After the final alarm at seven a.m., they each took turns freshening up in the bathroom. Bella was awake, alert, and completely wired.

They were lying in the bed facing each other. Bella was lightly tracing over his tattoo with her fingers and chattering about the houses Gina had shown them the week before. He'd liked a couple of the ones they'd seen, but now that her safety was even more of an issue, none of them was right in his mind.

"So, you're not going to make an offer on either of them?" she asked.

"No, probably not. I think we need to look for something closer to you and the Center, and it needs to be a secure place. I'm going to ask Gina to show us some of those condos downtown."

"A condo, really? I thought you wanted space and a yard and the whole nine." She gazed up into his eyes with concern.

"We can always do that later. A condo with security—both human and electronic—is what I'm looking for now."

"I hate for you to have to change your dreams and plans, because of me. This is going to be your first home, not a fortress."

"Don't you know that without you I have no dreams or plans? Everything I hope for is tied to you. There is no happiness for me without you, Bella."

Her eyes were moist, and he could see the love in them. "I feel the same way. I can't fathom a future without you in it, either." She caressed his face tenderly.

"And now that we agree on those important points," he said, cupping the back of her head in his hand and leaning in to brush his lips against hers. "Please say you will stay with me, not only because I'll make it as safe for you as humanly possible, but because you want to be with me, too."

She locked eyes with him. "It's scary how much I want to be with you. And as much as I want to say 'yes' to that arrangement, I have to think about my dad, his position in the community, and much more importantly, the children at the Center. I know in the grand scheme of things it might seem hypocritical to place so much stock in appearances, or pale in comparison to dodging a stalker, but I am probably the only role model some of the girls there have."

"Your safety eighty-sixes propriety, in my opinion. Do I need to go talk to the reverend again?"

"His solution will be for me to come home."

"Is he ready for me to move in, too, then?"

Bella giggled. "That would be kind of hilarious. But you know, they did have Angela live with us for several years."

"Angela didn't have designs on your virtue," he said wryly. "Things might have turned out differently if she had been big, tall and definitely not female."

"Hey, give me some credit," she teased. "I wouldn't have fallen for just any testosterone cocktail on two legs. Besides, he would also have had to have a full head of messy bronze hair and gorgeous green panty-wetting eyes."

Her words alone sent a shock to his libido that had him standing at half-mast again. _ Fuck! The Taps trick is dead in the water._

"Aww, baby, you make it so hard on me," he moaned, sliding his hands over the silk pajama shorts covering her hips and pulling her flush against him, allowing her to feel what her words were doing to him.

"Mmm. Why Officer Cullen, is that your service revolver here in bed with us, or are you just happy to see me?" Her Jessica Rabbit-esque remark was his undoing.

He grasped her so quickly, she squealed with delight as he thrust his tongue into her eager warm mouth and had it sparring with hers in seconds. His hands rode smoothly over her silken clad body that drove him wild no matter what she wore. The silk was sleek and sensual, allowing his caresses to glide effortlessly over her, as if her body was oiled and primed for his touch. His arms snaked around her waist, his hands going to her bottom, pulling her closer than ever. He moaned as he felt her softness meld to his hard muscle. Her bottom was firm, yet soft, and he relished cupping it in his palms and squeezing it gently in his hands. Not breaking the kiss, he slid his hands up her sides, and his thumbs found the peaks of her breasts, already taut and begging for his attention. He caressed them in a circular rhythm that caused her to moan, but he still did not release her mouth from their soul-stirring kiss.

Bella's hands were simultaneously exploring the ripples and planes of his musculature, her femininity the perfect contrast to his masculinity. It made _that_ part of his anatomy so stiff that it was almost to the breaking point as it begged to plunge into her warm depths. So hard and wanting, he was sure she could feel his erection pulsating where it made contact with her stomach. Almost as if she could read his mind, she slid her hand purposely between them, into his boxers, and encircled his shaft. _Oh, fuck the world!_ His body stiffened in surprise, and she sought out his eyes.

"Baby, show me what to do to help you," she pleaded.

He was so shell-shocked, he couldn't speak, so he covered her hand with his own and showed her the motion that would bring him blessed release. She caught on quickly and commenced giving him the most satisfying hand-job he had ever experienced.

The effect was mind-blowing, and he quickly grew frustrated with his inability to form intelligent words. He quieted himself by kissing her deeply, allowing his tongue to thrust in and out of her mouth, mimicking what he so desperately wanted to do, but could not do with her right now. Realizing that he wouldn't last long and would make a mess of his boxers or her, he flung his arm out to the bedside table, and after a couple of passes, found the box of Kleenex and pulled out a few. Without opening his eyes, breaking the kiss, or disturbing her rhythm, he pressed tissues into her free hand, covered it with his own, and positioned them to catch what he knew was going to be an impressive load of—he could not finish the thought.

"Oh, baby, I'm going to—" He couldn't finish his words either as he emptied himself in the tissues. When his muscles relaxed and he came down from the orgasmic euphoria induced by his virginal vamp, she had already cleaned him and disposed of the tissues. Bella settled in the crook of his arm, looking supremely satisfied with herself.

"Happy birthday, baby," she said. "I had some sexy lingerie and an Xbox 360 to go with that, but I'll give you the rest of your gifts later."

~888~

The morning regimen of pain meds and getting her horny boyfriend off must have taken its toll, because Bella fell asleep almost immediately afterward. He wanted to reciprocate, but she wouldn't have it. So, he just held her and thought about how lucky he was to have her.

This woman meant so much to him; he would take on the world to keep her safe. It was driving him insane just knowing that someone was after her and had been bold enough to attempt to hurt her while she was with Rosalie Hale—one of the best-damned drivers in the TPD, male or female. He would have to find out quickly who the hell it was, so he could end this reign of terror that was complicating their lives when all they should have to worry about now was how to keep their molten hot chemistry at bay while falling even deeper in love.

He hoped that he hadn't offended her by practically asking her to move in with him. As much as he wanted to honor her commitment to purity, it was becoming increasingly more difficult not to think about making love to her completely. He rolled his eyes in exasperation when he realized that despite the release she had just given him, he was growing hard again just thinking about the mere prospect of claiming her virginity. Her boldness was adorable, and she was meting out intimacies at a pace that probably seemed accelerated to her. But his sexual appetite was leaps and bounds beyond anything she could dream about, let alone experience.

It frightened him to some degree, but he refused to allow it to cripple the love that was growing between them. He could do irreparable damage if he pushed her further with his actions or his words than she was willing to go. That was why he was letting her set the pace, and that was just going to have be the way it was until they were both ready to take the final step toward the only circumstance in which she would freely and willingly give herself to him: matrimony.

Did he still get cold sweats even thinking about the possibility of forever? If he was completely honest with himself—yes. That commitment was the mother lode of them all, and the example he'd had growing up was not a stellar one. He was certain that he would overcome that final hurdle, soon. However, Dr. Levy believed that his inability to reconcile with his estranged father might somehow affect his relationship with Bella, and that might just be serious enough to prevent him from taking the final leap of commitment. Forcing it might yield disastrous results, were he to disregard the advice he had been given by a therapist he had grown to respect and trust immensely.

His thoughts had done much to tamp down his hyperactive libido, and he was determined not to tax Bella any further that day. She shifted in his arms, and he kissed the top of her head.

"I love you," he whispered, surprised when she softly answered him back.

"I love you, too." Then she stretched and snuggled closer to his side.

"Tell me. How is your head? Any pain?"

"No, I feel great."

"Are you hungry? Do you want me to go out and get a latte for you this morning?"

She clutched at his shoulders and inched closer to him. "I'd rather have you than food or a latte any day." She licked her bottom lip and smiled.

"Same here," he said as he began brushing kisses along the exposed skin where the neckline of her silk pajama top had come undone. He lathed her clavicle until she whimpered with pleasure; then he made his way to her neck. How quickly his resolve to abstain from making out with her again had disintegrated. When his lips moved from her neck to her rosy mouth, he knew he was lost. Her kiss burned every ounce of good intentions he had out of both his mind and his body.

~888~

**E/N:** **I also want to thank you, readers and reviewers, for hanging in here with me for 23 chapters thus far. We have crested the ridge and now we're a quarter of the way down on the other side. For those of you wondering, TLC will not be more than 35 chapters, if I can help it. And, if that changes, I promise to let you know ASAP.**

**Reviewers, I especially thank you, because your thoughtful, insightful, critical and sometimes confrontational reviews are what gives me the impetus to examine the story and change it so it reflects what I believe is the reality you all seek in good fiction. And if that is ever not the case, I can always rest assured that a brave few of you will never hesitate to let me know it.**

**So, hit me with your best shot!**


	25. Ch 24 TLC: We Will Grieve Not

**A/N: Betas really rock and I have the best ones in the world: Charmie77, acireamos, SSHG316 and SavageWoman. They support the mojo when it's fail, and act as muses when I need inspiration. I also want to thank my friend, Irritable Grizzzly, who has been a faithful reader of TLC for as long as I can remember. She is also an awesome beta and she lent me her twitchy red pen recently on a one-shot that I wrote in collaboration with SavageWoman for the Fun With Your Clothes on Contest. Please read, review and vote on the one-shots SavageWoman and I lost copious hours of sleep on this past weekend in order to meet the deadline at midnight Saturday Night.**

**More info on our one-shots: "Always and Forever" and "Twisted Bottle" below.**

_**"**__**We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind. In the faith that looks through death, in years that bring the philosophic mind.**__**"**_

– _**John Bacon**_

_**"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." -- Ephesians 4:30**_

**TLC - Chapter 24 - We Will Grieve Not**

Bella stifled a giggle as Edward gave her parents instructions about her care. Having already given them the details of what he believed was going on in the investigation of her stalker, he was reluctantly leaving her in the impregnable fortress that was her parents' gated community until Wednesday. While her mom was regarding Edward like he was Christ incarnate, Charlie was barely able to suppress an epic eye roll.

"I changed her bandage before we left Destin, so you should be good on that until tomorrow," Edward said, channeling his inner _Nurse Jackie_. "The pain meds are one or two every four hours depending on the severity of her pain."

Charlie took the bag containing the bandages and prescription meds from Edward. "You know, we've nursed this child through everything from ear infections to stomach flu. I think we're good."

"Dad—" Bella implored.

"Honey," Renee interjected, "cut Edward some slack. I think it's sweet that he's been such an attentive caregiver."

"She probably wouldn't have needed a caregiver if more precautions had been taken with her safety." Charlie was like a hungry pit bull, and it didn't look like he planned to stop gnawing on that bone anytime soon.

"I think the emphasis should be placed on what a blessing it was that Rosalie and I came through the ordeal okay. Right, Dad?" Bella wanted to nix the blame-placing post haste.

Nevertheless, Edward was contrite. "I fully shoulder the blame for Bella getting hurt, Reverend Swan, and I don't intend to make the same mistake twice. I'm fast-tracking some reports through the DMV tomorrow so we can try to locate the car and hopefully discover the identity of the person who tried to run Bella and Rosalie off the road."

"I'm sure you're doing everything you can," Renee said with a smile as she elbowed a scowling Charlie. "Thank you for taking such good care of our Lovely." Bella cringed when her mother used her pet name in front of Edward.

"Absolutely. I wouldn't have it any other way," Edward said. He moved to the sofa where Bella was lounging, while Renee grabbed Charlie's arm and dragged him out of the room. At least her mother was sensitive enough to allow them a chance to say goodbye in private.

Edward sat down next to her and smiled, cupping her face gently with his hand. "Your dad is right. I got too careless in Destin, but never again."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Enough with the guilt and recrimination. I need you to give me a kiss that will hold me over until I see you again Wednesday."

He chuckled in spite of himself and pulled her gently onto his lap. "Leave it to you to have kissing on your mind in the midst of all that's going on."

"What else is there?" she teased.

Edward accommodated by laying the granddaddy of all kisses on her. This was the kiss to end all kisses, and it left her hot, bothered, and wanting more —as per usual. She wasn't sure whether she should be happy or sad that they were in her parent's home. Maybe a reprieve from all the sexual tension between them was in order. It was becoming increasingly difficult to rein in her desire where Edward was concerned.

"It's getting late," Edward said huskily. She could see the effect of the kiss on his face and felt it where she sat on his lap.

"I know," she said. "But I just hate to let you go."

"It'll be Wednesday before you know it."

"Not from where I'll be sitting." She threw her arms around his neck and entreated him, "Please come and see me after work tomorrow. We can have a late dinner. Dad is going to drive me mad here alone with him all day tomorrow while Mom's at work. I'll need you to rescue me at least for a few hours."

He smiled and kissed her temple. "I'll be here as soon as I'm off," he promised.

~888~

Edward had been gone fifteen minutes, and Bella was still lounging on the couch flipping through channels on the television when Renee came back into the den to join her. She settled in an armchair with a copy of Law Review, her reading glasses perched daintily on her nose. Bella flipped the remote one final time and settled on A&E.

"Despite that other unpleasantness, how was Destin?" Renee asked, peeking over the top of her reading glasses.

Bella smiled. "Destin was great. The weather was fabulous, the beach was divine, we played a lot of cards and games, and Rosalie and I spent some time at a wedding boutique. After the incident, we had a little party for Edward's birthday. Even though Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie remained armed and on high alert the rest of the weekend, we managed to have quite a lot of fun." Bella smiled even bigger when she recalled all the other ways they had fun. She didn't exactly want to share that with her mother.

"Well, I for one am thankful that you have gun-wielding friends on this side of the law."

"Thank you. I just wish Dad had your attitude. Every time Edward's around him, Dad gets surly and combative. What's up with that?"

"Your dad has to have something to knock Edward about. Charlie's been effectively replaced in your eyes, and he doesn't like it."

"Mom, doesn't he know I'll always love him, no matter what?"

"Yes, but you have someone now who challenges his place in your heart like never before. Charlie still sees you as his little girl, and it doesn't sit well with him yet to know that someone else eclipses him in your life."

"Oh, wow. I guess I never thought about that. I'll make an extra effort to spend some quality time with him tomorrow while he's babysitting me," Bella said with a smirk. "I was beginning to think I was going to have to ask Edward to stop going to the Wednesday night Bible studies, because Dad really made him kind of uncomfortable."

"Now, that's going just a wee bit too far. I'll have to speak to your father and get him to see reason." Renee was wearing her "no bullshit" lawyer's face, and Bella felt a tad bit sorry for what her Dad would be facing before he retired tonight. "Besides, I won't have him scaring away the first real chance I have of getting myself a real honest to goodness son-in-law."

Bella giggled. "There you go again with that."

"Hey, a mama's gotta dream."

"Where is Dad, by the way?"

"He went to the hospital to visit a couple of church members. Mrs. Lawson has pneumonia, and the Todds had a baby boy. He should be back in about an hour." Renee glanced at the television and recognized the movie that was coming on. "Ooh, Lovely, have you ever seen this movie?"

"I don't know. What is it?"

"_Splendor in the Grass_—an Elia Kazan classic."

"Like in the William Wordsworth poem, right?"

"Yes, Deanie, the lead female played by Natalie Wood, recites the poem in class. It is the story of young love, sexual repression, and ultimate heartbreak," Renee said, her eyes shining with excitement.

"And you like this movie, because...?" Bella couldn't help but look at her mother as if she had lost her mind.

"In a lot of ways, it reminds me of some things that your father and I struggled through when we were younger. Just watch it with me. You might find it resonating with you too, now that you and Edward are... dating exclusively." Renee did the little air quotes with her fingers.

"Oh, Mom, we've moved past that and into the serious relationship stage."

"With 'I love yous' and everything?" Renee was incredulous.

Bella was grinning and nodding profusely when her mother left her armchair, joined her daughter on the couch, and enveloped her in her arms. "I'm so happy for you, Lovely," Renee said as she held her daughter's arms and beamed at her. "So, when did this happen? Over the weekend?"

"No, actually it happened a few weeks ago," Bella said, smiling sheepishly. Usually she shared everything with her mother.

"And you just thought to tell me?" Renee looked wounded.

"I was kind of afraid to tell you, because I know how Dad feels about Edward, and what you know, he knows. I didn't want you and Dad to think things were moving too quickly."

"Do you think that?"

"No," Bella said without hesitation and with confidence. "I love Edward very much, Mom, and he loves me, too."

Renee smiled widely then, her momentary disappointment forgotten. "I have been praying for this since you were thirteen. I need to get to know your Edward, so I can give him my final stamp of approval."

"Good, I invited him to dinner tomorrow night, but we have to hold dinner until 7:30. Is that okay?"

"Absolutely," Renee said, noticing the opening credits were done. "Hey, you might really want to pay attention to this movie now, Lovely. You might just come away with a lesson from it." Bella didn't know then why her mother was so cryptic about it. She scooted closer to her mother, and they settled on the couch to watch the movie.

Natalie Wood was the actress who played Deanie Loomis, a small-town girl living in Kansas in 1928, and she reminded Bella a lot of herself. The sexual chemistry between Deanie and her super-hot boyfriend, Bud Stamper who was played by Warren Beatty, reminded Bella of what she was experiencing with Edward at the moment. Time and again, the make out scenes with Deanie and Bud built until they were both so sexually frustrated, they were at a breaking point. Deanie's mother repeatedly advised her to resist her desire to have sex with Bud, because it was a societal taboo and "good" girls waited until marriage. Bud came from the most affluent family in town, and his father admonished him not to have sex with Deanie because he didn't want Bud to marry her if he got her "in trouble." Bud's father convinced him to find another kind of girl to fool around with. Bella likened this to the way Edward's father had encouraged him to sow his wild oats when he was younger.

Charlie came back home in the middle of the movie, and when he saw what they were watching, he mumbled something about not wanting to watch a chick flick, classic or not, before disappearing into his study.

Bella, now lying down on the couch with her head in her mother's lap, continued watching the movie. Edward rang her on her cell phone, but she let it go to voicemail. She texted him that she would call him right after she finished the movie with her mother as she became engrossed again in Deanie and Bud's story.

Bud followed his father's advice and sought out a girl who had a reputation of promiscuity, and when Deanie found out, she tried to emulate this new girl in Bud's life because she felt like he was rejecting her for not putting out. Bud insisted that she was a good girl and that she shouldn't be encouraging him or any other guy to see her any differently.

Deanie was so madly in love with Bud and wanted him so desperately, that she had a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized. In the final scene, Deanie returned home from the asylum after two and a half years, where she had met a fellow patient, a fledgling medical student who had asked for her hand in marriage. Deanie couldn't accept his proposal until she found closure with Bud. She went to meet Bud and found that he was married, had an infant child, and was expecting another one. Deanie and Bud realized then that they were truly over and would have to live their lives apart. As the ending credits rolled, Deanie recited the words from the Wordsworth Poem, _Ode 536: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood_.

What though the radiance which was once so bright

Be now forever taken from my sight,

Though nothing can bring back the hour

Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;

We will grieve not, rather find

Strength in what remains behind.

Both of them blubbering, like idiots, Bella and Renee shared an embrace as Bella clicked the television off.

"Mom, that was unbelievably sad. Why is it again that you love this movie?" Bella asked, taking the tissue her mother offered her and wiped her eyes.

Renee sighed heavily, patting her own eyes with a tissue. "It reminds me of how your dad and I were when we were young."

"Eww, do I really want to hear this?"

"I know it's probably inconceivable to you, but your father and I were young and in love once, and we fell prey to temptation just like any other young couple in love."

"Dad's always been so orthodox in his beliefs and very, very faithful. I just can't imagine you two struggling like that."

Renee looked thoughtfully at her daughter. "We might be middle-aged and settled now, but believe me, your father and I have been right where you and Edward are now. And don't try to tell me that you don't desire him in that way."

"Not gonna lie, Mom. Sometimes I just look at him and I... never mind," Bella said, her face turning beet red. "Remember how you told me what is was like when you met Daddy and you knew that day there was something special about him?"

"Yes…" Her mom was tentative.

Bella nervously swiveled her commitment ring. "That was what it was like when I met Edward, and it's only gotten stronger since then. Our chemistry is off the charts."

"So, is this your way of diplomatically telling me you've outgrown your commitment ring?"

"In my mind, I am still committed to waiting for marriage to have sex, but my heart and body have other ideas. It is excruciating sometimes to be near him when all I want to do is show him how much I love him. When Edward walked into the Center a few months ago, he sent my world spinning on another axis, and I don't think it's ever shifting back."

Her mom was thoughtful. "He is charming, handsome, and very mature for a man on the south side of thirty. Are you sure it isn't just hormones on overdrive, baby?"

"Mom, I've experienced that before, but this is so much more. This is like, when I'm around him, I feel like I've come home. And when I'm away from him, I ache to be with him all the time. He is smart, committed to his work, and extremely capable. He's been in the Marines, has a criminology degree from Indiana State University, and is very cultured. I love that he is an accomplished musician and that he even challenges me intellectually. He is kind to the children and compassionate to the residents at the Center. He makes me feel special and so safe when I'm around him, it's almost like he can do anything. Edward reminds me of Dad and how he commands respect, because he gives it so freely when it's earned."

"Sounds like my baby really is in love," Renee said as if in awe.

"How can this be reconciled, Mom? I don't want us to end up like Deanie and Bud."

"I'd like to think that you and Edward are made of much stronger stuff than Deanie and Bud, Lovely. You are not the first young woman to struggle with sexual desire, and you won't be the last. Of course, it might be easier if both you and Edward were fully on board with your commitment."

"Edward has been unbelievably patient and willing to do as much or as little as I'm comfortable with. But I am so in love with him, every time I'm in his arms I just want to give in. I want to be his in every sense of the word." Tears began to flow and her body shook with sobs.

Renee's heart ached for her daughter, and she gathered Bella into her arms and held her until she quieted.

"Ultimately, it's yours and Edward's decision whether you stay the course or not, Lovely. I don't mean to be cliché here or give you half-platitudes from Scripture to guilt you into doing what I think you should do, but I think you need to pray, examine your own heart, and realize it won't be easy. Even Christian couples have temptations and trials. I don't have any pat answers for you, but I do know that if you honor your commitment, you won't regret it. Sometimes when we go against what we've purposed in our hearts to do, the corresponding guilt that we have to live with each and every day is not worth the momentary pleasure."

Bella wanted to ask her mother a very obvious question, but she decided to go with a less intrusive one. "Sounds like you might have had first-hand knowledge of my dilemma, Mom?"

Tears glistened in Renee's eyes. "Yes, and while your father and I obviously didn't go the way of Deanie and Bud in the end, we experienced our fair share of heartbreak in our marriage relationship early on due to decisions we made while dating that we later regretted. Your father still believes, and rather erroneously I might add, that the problems we had conceiving before you were born were somehow connected to our youthful indiscretions."

Bella was saddened. She had no idea that her parents struggles had so closely resembled her own. "Oh, Mom, what an awful thing for Dad to shoulder such a burden. You know, when I was little and he read me 'Pilgrim's Progress,' I always felt like he identified very closely with the Pilgrim. Now I know why."

"Your father's grief is the burden that he carries in some form even to this day. He is much like David was in his contrition after he sinned with Bathsheba. And as you know, the loss of their child was just the beginning of his troubles. Well, I'm going to go to bed, unless you want to talk some more."

"No, Mom. You go on up. I'll be up soon."

As her mother ascended the stairs, Bella grabbed a Bible on the table beside the couch and began to read. She opened it to read in Solomon's Song of Songs. How appropriate considering her and Edward's struggles:

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—

for your love is more delightful than wine.

Even the Scriptures seemed to be in collusion against them. This was exactly what she wanted Edward to do all the time. Where were the words that told her how to avoid doing this? Who was she kidding? They were there; all she had to do was go to those passages that she had grown up reading. They would admonish her to shun the very appearance of evil, resist temptation, and do good. They would advise her to not give in to lust of the flesh, the chief one being the crux of the seventh commandment, not to succumb to sexual immorality outside the sanctity of marriage—meaning no fornication or adultery. Her parents had taught her that a person of faith didn't just do these things because they were commanded. She had learned that, as a woman of faith, she chose to follow the commandment because of her love for God, not a compulsion to follow the law.

Reading on, she realized that even Solomon seemed to glory in the physical relationship he had with his beloved. And to be perfectly honest, Solomon had been chosen by God as a very young man to rule, but his excesses in the boudoir left a lot to be desired. Come on now, this man had more than 700 wives and 300 concubines, or some such nonsense. And his writings had still made it into Bible canon. Proof, one could suppose, that even though he had sinned and gone against what God intended regarding monogamy in his own personal life, much of what he'd believed, the nature of true love in the physical and the spiritual realm, had withstood the test of time.

Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;  
your name is like perfume poured out.  
No wonder the maidens love you!

Take me away with you—let us hurry!  
Let the king bring me into his chambers.

Bella got on her knees in front of the couch and prayed harder than she had prayed in a very long time.

~888~

Edward got the biggest mug of black coffee he could find when he arrived at the precinct on Monday morning. He'd had one cup before he left home, but he had a feeling that he would need a couple more refills before the day was done.

Bella had called him back as promised, and while he had been excited to talk to her, he'd been concerned that she needed her rest. His repeated attempts to get her off the phone had been unsuccessful.

They talked about this movie she'd seen with her mother, and he'd done absolutely everything he could to convince her that while art did imitate life and all that, it was Hollywood and they were _real_ people. Regardless, she was worked up into frenzy about them becoming like "Deanie and Bud." He'd wanted to laugh when she suggested it, but she'd been so emotional about it, he'd opted to listen patiently to all her concerns and done everything he could to calm her down. He smiled, remembering part of their exchange.

_"Are you sure you're not going to begin to hate me for the sex thing,__baby?" __she asked anxiously. "I know I push you so much, and I probably really need to stop doing that."_

_He'd responded immediately__. __"Bella, I'm not going to hate you for anything. I came into this relationship with my eyes wide open, and you were open and honest about your faith commitment. I am not going to die if we don't have sex right now." _Although his balls might get so purple from time to time that he might wish he were dead.

_"I just love you so much, Edward, and I would hate myself if I drove you into the arms of some promiscuous skank ho, like Deanie did Bud. Well actually, his father advised him to find another girl because Deanie was a nice girl." _He thought he heard a sniffle.

_"Baby, I love you, too, but when did you last take your pain meds, and how many did you take?" _

_"I took them about an hour ago. I took two because my head was hurting really bad when I came upstairs after watching the movie with Mom and praying about our situation."_

He stifled a chuckle. No wonder she was so emotional and loopy. He should have asked her that question as soon as she got on the phone and began the tirade about them not being Deanie and Bud. While in Destin, he had noted that she was particularly wired and prone to wide mood swings when she took two of the pills as opposed to one_._

_"Listen to me, __baby," he soothed. "We don't have a situation that warrants you having to work yourself up in fervent prayer over. I am not complaining. I will always only do whatever is comfortable for you and whatever you can do that won't make you feel guilty about compromising your faith."_

_"That's just it, baby. I'm not even sure what that is anymore. It's like I told my Mom, in my heart and physically, I want to do everything with you, but in my head, I know I can't. And the more things we do, the harder it is for me to differentiate between what is permissible and what is acceptable."_

He panicked a bit about the candidness she had with her mother about their sex life. He'd never been in this situation._ "You actually told Renee that? What if she tells the Reverend? He'll really put me on the spot in Bible Study. He already looks at me sideways every time he talks about sin and sexual immorality."_

_"Yeah, I've always been able to talk to my mother like that. I mean, I don't share details with her like I'm talking to a girlfriend or anything. Don't worry, my mother is cool. She knows what my dad can handle, so she won't say anything to him about that. And speaking of Bible Study, he won't be harassing you anymore once my mom is through with him."_

_"All of that is good to know. But I can handle a little passive-aggressive behavior from the Pastor."_

_"But you really shouldn't have to. I promise you, it will be better. But if it's any consolation, my dad really likes you—if he didn't, he wouldn't bother razzing you so much."_

_"I'll remember that when he has me reading Romans Chapter 1 aloud again." _He couldn't believe he was going to say what else he was about to say, because it would definitely mean more cold showers and taking matters into his own hands. But he loved Bella too much to have her stressing over their physical relationship and its emotional repercussions. He knew he should have discouraged that hand job, especially while she was impaired with pain meds._ "Bella, maybe we should ratchet back a bit on the make-out sessions. I have much more information to work with now that I've been interacting with some of the men at church, and I do not want to be the reason you break the vow that you made long before I came into the picture. I'd much rather help you achieve your goal than be the one who makes you abandon it."_

_"You would do that for me?"_

_"There is nothing I wouldn't do for you. Don't you know that yet?"_

_"I had some idea, but I love hearing you say it, anyway."_

They'd had another half hour of calm conversation before he finally convinced her to hang up. By then she'd been yawning and slurring her words. He had been so tired himself after their long day that he'd fallen asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Now, as he maneuvered through the precinct office toward his shared cubicle, he realized it hadn't been enough sleep, and he was dog-tired.

Edward found an email from Emmett waiting for him when he logged onto his email account. There was also an attachment containing the report forwarded to them by Officer Patton from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's department. He printed the report to read later while he made his rounds at the Center. Before logging off, he sent a query to the DMV, providing as much information as he could from Rosalie's description of the car that had tried to run her off the road. He wasn't sure how much priority they would give the report, but he hoped he would get an answer soon.

Edward made some extra passes on the street where Laurent Beauvoir was allegedly living with his aunt. His car was never there. Edward had called Reverend Swan and given him a description of the car and the first two letters from the license plates. While he wasn't inviting him for coffee, Reverend Swan was considerably more civil than he'd been during their previous interactions. Renee must have laid down the law. Edward enjoyed the idea a little too much that the Rev had been read the riot act by his wife.

In Bella's absence, Alice and Maria took care of everything at the Center; between them, everything went smoothly. Maria introduced Edward to Demetri, the other new volunteer, and Edward found that he'd gone to school with Bella at Fairview, just like Laurent.

"Say, Demetri," Edward said when Alice and Maria were out of earshot, "did you know Laurent Beauvoir back then?"

"Yeah, he was a scruffy little Haitian kid who was in our class at Fairview. He also went to church with us sporadically. I remember he had a big crush on Bella back in the day." With his final words, Demetri raised one eyebrow suggestively in anticipation of getting a reaction out of Edward. But Edward was too secure in what he had with Bella to give that bit of old news any serious thought, let alone a reaction.

"He indicated that he lived with his aunt here on the property when I found him driving around over here a few weeks ago. Was this where he lived with his mother when you guys were in school together?"

Demetri scratched his head absentmindedly, appearing deep in thought about the question Edward posed. "If I remember correctly, they were in a little house right around here, somewhere off Texas Street, I believe. They weren't in the apartment community proper. Why do you ask, man?"

"He tried to manhandle Bella at the End-of-School-Year Festival on Memorial Day, and we have reason to believe he might have been following her, maybe even before then. Just this weekend, someone followed us to Destin and tried to run Bella and our friend, Rosalie, off the road."

"Damn, sounds like the guy's serious, then. Hey, I can keep an eye out. Make sure he's not lurking around here when I'm around."

"Great, man. Thanks. I'll bring a current mug shot of him by so you can see what he looks like now. Just send me our decided upon 911 text alert, and I'll make my way back over here from wherever I am on the property."

"So glad to be of help."

Edward was grateful to have another guy on the property to assist in keeping Bella safe. "Thanks for looking out, man."

He shook Demetri's hand and continued on his patrols. Because nothing out of the ordinary transpired during the day, he had several opportunities to look over Officer Patton's report. Most of the eyewitnesses interviewed in conjunction with the incident told the same or similar stories as Rosalie. And in every case, things had happened so fast, no one was able to remember many details. One witness thought the man was Caucasian, but most agreed with Rosalie that the person was so covered it was difficult to determine ethnicity.

Before long, it was the end of his work day. He showered in the men's bathroom at the Center, changed clothes, locked up, and headed out to see Bella. When he pulled up in the circular drive, Angela was getting out of her car, too, so he waited for her.

"Hey, Edward," she said with a smile. "Fancy seeing you here."

He grinned back. "Oh yeah, I'm _persona non grata_ to Papa Swan right now, but I'm working it."

"Pssh," she said exasperatedly. "Papa Swan is really just a big teddy bear. You'll win him over in no time."

"If you say so."

Angela's face took on a worried expression, and she stopped him before they got to the steps. "Have you got a sec?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Promise me you won't get mad and rat me out to my sister? Because there's something you need to know. I couldn't get you alone long enough to tell you over the weekend, especially after the accident happened. I talked to Ben about it last night, and he said if it involved me that he would want Bella to tell him."

Edward was curious, but he could feel his anger amping even though she hadn't told him anything yet. He took a deep breath and waited for her to continue, not promising a goddamn thing.

"The last time I was at Bella's apartment—I think you came over later that night—I saw James Hall sitting in his car in the parking lot out front, talking on his cell phone."

Edward turned and took two steps back toward his car. He only turned back to look at Angela when she screamed to him, "Wait, Edward! Where are you going?"

"To find out why the fuck James is doing that creeper stalking shit you just told me about." Angela flinched at the epithets. Edward realized he was probably scaring the hell out of her, so he breathed deeply again and continued toward his car.

"You can't go now," she said calmly. "Bella and her parents are expecting you."

He breathed in and out a couple more times and started his anger management techniques in his head. After a few seconds, he felt reasonably okay and moved silently with Angela toward the door. If he said another word at the moment, he thought he might blow a gasket or some shit. He needed to get a grip—and fast. Bella was in a delicate state, and he didn't want to upset her right now. He needed some answers as to why James was hanging out around her, but more importantly, he needed to know why she didn't feel he needed to know about it.

Angela tentatively touched his arm when they reached the door. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah," he said raggedly and plastered the largest fake smile he could muster on his face. "As right as rain."

Angela must have believed him because she rang the doorbell.

Charlie answered the door. And to be honest, Edward was glad Angela was with him because he was in no mood to do the usual passive-aggressive, non-verbal sparring with the Reverend. Angela threw herself in Charlie's arms while Edward said a terse hello and made a beeline for the family room where Bella was sitting on the sofa holding a book. She smiled in anticipation of seeing him, and he tried, he really tried to smile with the same enthusiasm, but knew he failed miserably. She was no fool—even when he bent to kiss her on the cheek, he knew she was reading him. Her smile faded as she regarded him warily from her perch on the sofa. Charlie and Angela went through the dining room and into the kitchen, bantering noisily on the way.

"Something's wrong," Bella said simply.

~888~

Okay, so in the words of SavageWoman when she read this chapter: "The religion is coming back into play, Bella is questioning her commitment, Edward is ready to kill someone, Charlie's being an ass, and Renee is shining in her role as the cool mom." Love it or hate it?

We do plan to continue the one-shots, "Always and Forever" and "Twisted Bottle" but can't do so until the contest is over:

1st Round Voting is Open. Please go to the link below and vote [replacing the (dot)s with periods]:

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The following Poll will be at the top of the page. Please click "Vote Now" and select the three stories you are supporting.

Poll: Place your vote now for your favorite three entries in the Fun With Your Clothes On contest. Voting Ends on 4/28/10 at 11:59EST! Vote Now!

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Your support in this contest is very much appreciated.

Bev


	26. Ch 25 TLC: Passive Aggressive

**A/N: I cannot sing my betas' praises too much: Charmie77, acireamos, SSHG316 and SavageWoman. They are the wind beneath my wings. I also want to thank Irritable Grizzzly for bitchslapping me when I needed it last week while my mojo was being finicky. Her twitchy red pen is phenomenal.**

**Warning****: A confession about a rape is contained in this chapter. If this subject matter is an emotional trigger for you, please do not read the section which begins with Rosalie and her bridesmaids riding to the church and through the flashback.**

_**"Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict—alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence."**_

– _**Dorothy Thompson**_

_**"For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want."**_

_**-- Galatians 5:17**_

**TLC - Chapter 25 - Passive Aggressive**

Bella could tell by the muscle working in his jaw, the grimace masquerading as a smile, and the flustered way his hand was running through his hair that Edward was upset about something. She stood up, wound her arms around his waist, and pressed her body into his. God, she had missed him today, but now something was eating at him and she needed to get to the bottom of it.

"Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" she asked softly. Her ear was on his chest, and she couldn't help but hear the erratic beating of his heart, that underscored his agitation.

Despite his obvious state of mind, he squeezed her briefly, planted a kiss on the top of her head, and then released her abruptly. He plastered another disingenuous smile on his face before gesturing toward the dining room. "Let's just join your folks for dinner. I've kept them waiting long enough."

Bella was a bit stung by the clipped edge to his voice and the manner in which he pulled away. She tried to make eye contact, but he kept his eyes averted. She decided not to push it and strode into the dining room. Edward followed.

"Edward!" Renee gushed. "We're so happy to have you here for dinner with us."

"Thanks, Renee. I'm happy to be here." His somber expression belied his words.

Renee looked at Bella with a question in her eyes.

Bella shrugged and moved to pull out her own chair, but Edward beat her to it. Even in his disquieted mood he at least remembered to be a gentleman. Bella took the chair closest to her father at the head of the table and directly across from her mother. Edward sat next to her and across from Angela.

Charlie cleared his throat. "Let's give thanks," he said solemnly.

They all bowed their heads as Charlie asked the blessing in his deep mellifluous voice. "Oh Lord, we thank you for your loving provision. We thank you for this meal that is set before us and ask you to bless the hands that prepared it. We ask that you bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies and our bodies for your continued service. May we never forget those who have want and are in need. May our eyes and our hearts be alert, and our hands be open to give from the abundance you have given us. Amen."

After everyone said amen, Bella's eyes immediately went back to Edward, who was studying his silverware and taking his time unfolding his napkin in his lap. He didn't look up until Charlie addressed him.

"Edward, any new developments in the investigation?" Charlie said as he took a slice of meat from the roast he'd been carving, ladled some potatoes and carrots on his plate, and then passed the platter to Renee.

"I studied the report from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Department and requested some reports from the DMV. I wasn't able to locate Beauvoir at his aunt's, but I'm following another lead tomorrow on where he might be. As soon as I get the report back from the DMV I hope to be able to better pinpoint a suspect or suspects and then narrow it from there."

"Good work. If I can do anything to help, don't hesitate to ask," Charlie offered. All eyes moved to him at his rare show of support for Edward. Renee must have lit into him really good.

Edward took advantage of his cooperation. "You might be able to help me locate Beauvoir. He used to live near the Center with his mother—do you remember where it was exactly?"

"The street name escapes me, but I could take you there. I'll run by there tomorrow after the children leave and show you where it is."

"Thanks, Rev. Swan," he said loudly. Then he muttered under his breath when Renee pulled Charlie into conversation, "So glad to know that someone in the family is not hindering the investigation."

Bella was annoyed that he was being so passive-aggressively cryptic. "Who's hindering the investigation?"

Edward ignored the question and made a big show of ladling food on his plate. "Angela, would you pass the rolls, please?" Angela acquiesced, looking very much like a child whose parents were fighting and she didn't know which side to take. Edward took a roll and passed the breadbasket to Bella.

Renee and Charlie began asking Angela questions about Ben and their wedding plans. Bella placed her hand on Edward's thigh under the table and sought his eyes.

"Hey," she whispered, "are you going to tell me what's wrong, or are we going to continue trying to communicate like this? You need to talk to me Edward."

He seemed to have decided to drop his façade completely. His lips curled into a mocking facsimile of a smile as he said in a voice laced with sarcasm, "I don't know, baby. Maybe I should just keep that to myself like one of us makes a habit of doing."

Charlie's show of support was short-lived when he whipped his head around. "Trouble in paradise?" he asked with an impish grin.

"No!" Bella and Edward said forcefully in unison.

After everyone had gotten their food and began eating, an awkward silence descended upon the table.

It didn't take long before Renee decided to take a stab at getting conversation flowing again. "How is your mother, Edward?"

"She's doing well. I went by to check on her yesterday after I left here. Her ankle is still wrapped, but she's happy to not have to wear the walking boot anymore."

"That's great. Please give her our best when you talk to her again."

"You may see her next Sunday. She's still shopping for a church and she mentioned visiting City of Hope sometime soon."

"We'll look for her, then."

Bella smiled, hoping to get a smile from Edward in return. "I'm glad she's going to make good on her promise and visit."

"My mother may have other issues, but she's a woman of her word."

Having reached the end of her rope, Bella spoke up, "Mom, Dad, Angela. Please excuse us." She stood, grasped Edward's hand, and tugged. He reluctantly left his chair and followed her out of the room, through the kitchen, and out onto the patio.

She rounded on him as he closed the door. "What is it that has you doing this Charlie Swan passive-aggressive thing since you arrived?"

He barked a mirthless laugh and furrowed his brow. "It doesn't feel good when you're kept out of the loop, does it?"

"Could we just stop with the cryptic half-answers and talk?" Despite her show of bravado, she was quivering inside because she was beginning to get a pretty good idea about why he was so angry. Had Angela told him about James?

"We can do that when you decide if we're going to be completely honest with each other in this relationship," he said.

She decided to fess up and not skirt around the issue anymore. "Okay, I was wrong to not tell you about James...."

"Bella—"

"But in my defense, your current reaction is exactly why I withheld that information from you in the first place. Anyway, my mom talked to Laura earlier, and James has been in Atlanta since late last week."

"You have to tell me about things like this no matter what you believe my reaction is going to be. Someone is stalking you, and right now, everybody is a suspect until we can rule them out, including James Hall. Besides, even if he isn't the stalker, I still have a problem with him sitting his ass outside your apartment like that."

"Honestly, he probably had a good reason for being there that day. When I called him it sounded like he was driving. I don't know, maybe he was on his way over anyway and when I called, and he decided not to just show up at my door."

Edward looked hurt. "You called him?"

"Yes, Maria told me that he wasn't doing well, so I wanted to see if I could help."

"So is this what I have to look forward to—you calling ex-boyfriends without my knowledge?"

"Without your knowledge? I'm sorry, since when do I need permission to call a family friend out of concern? I don't want James' family to have to suffer again because he's reacting to something I did."

"But think about it—what if I called Tanya or Victoria and just had conversations with them from time to time without me mentioning it to you?"

"It's not the same thing, and you know it. I'm trying to help him. He's struggling because of what I did to him!."

"Even so, he shouldn't be lurking outside your place, and I shouldn't have to find out weeks after the fact that you talked to him. And I can't believe it didn't occur to you to mention it, even after you and Rosalie were practically run off the road."

"James can't be a suspect. He was hours away when the incident happened. This is most likely Laurent trying to get revenge." Even though it was coincidental that James had the same color car as her so-called stalker, she didn't for a minute believe that he would ever take things this far.

"We don't know that without a doubt, yet. And we have to be very careful. I won't step aside and allow you be hurt by someone in whom you have misplaced trust."

"It's not misplaced trust. I just know he wouldn't do that to me."

"Well, until it's proven otherwise, he's still a suspect in my book."

"Then I'm going to call him and ask why he was there." She dug in her pocket for her cell phone. "He'll tell me the truth, and we can just put this to rest, once and for all."

She had barely located James in her contact list when Edward plucked the phone from her hand and pronounced stubbornly, "You will not call and tip him off. He could lie, create an alibi, or figure out a way to finish what he started."

Bella was flabbergasted. "Edward Anthony Cullen! You give me my phone back right now or…"

What began as a smirk became a genuine smile this time as he held the phone behind his back. "Or what?"

Their eyes met in a duel of wills, but Bella could tell that, for the most part, he had forgiven her.

"Or nothing," she huffed in resignation. She reached her arms around him trying desperately to retrieve the phone, but he held it fast in his hand.

Smiling devilishly, he took his other arm, hoisted her against him, and began raining kisses all over her face. When his lips descended to her neck all the fight left her, and she just wound her arms around him with a sigh.

"You don't fight fair," she muttered, her breathing quickly becoming labored.

"I know," he agreed and kissed her deeply.

~888~

With the help of Rev. Swan, Edward found the house that Laurent was using as his hub of activity. Their little field trip together gave Edward a glimpse of what the reverend had been like as a cop. He was pleasantly surprised that their surveillance and investigative methods were very similar.

While Beauvoir himself was not there, Charlie recognized one of Laurent's cousins, which gave them a strong indication that this operation was indeed Beauvoir's. Edward would add this location to his perimeter sweep and hoped that he would eventually find Beauvoir's car there.

Using the number he had memorized from Bella's cell phone, Edward called James, but got his answering machine and a message indicating that he would be out on hiatus for a while. Edward opted not to leave a message; he wanted to get an unrehearsed reaction from James when they finally talked.

Having received permission to drive Bella to work in his cruiser, Edward fell into a routine of driving her to and from work as she eased back into her regular schedule at the Center. For the next couple of weeks, there was no activity involving the stalker, but Edward was by no means lulled into a false sense of security. He had made additional plans to keep Bella safe which he hoped she would agree to with minimal push back.

Gina had expedited a closing on a condo she had shown to them the week after the incident in Destin, so he would be able to move in the weekend before Emmett and Rosalie's wedding. He wanted Bella to stay in the condo while he stayed at her apartment, given the many security features the condo had over an apartment community. The building had top-of-the-line electronic and security personnel. The garage was underground and secure from pedestrian traffic and the curious.

On Saturday morning, after enjoying their first breakfast together in the condo, they unpacked and waited for the piano delivery. Edward had followed Emmett's advice and purchased a new bedroom set for the master suite and used his old bedroom furniture in the guest room. With additional space in the living room, Bella had encouraged him to buy a new piano to complete the décor and make it more convenient for him to play at home when he wanted. He was also looking forward to playing as her accompaniment whenever she needed him to.

Bella was folding towels and placing them in the linen closet while he unpacked toiletries in the master bath. When the box was emptied, he collapsed it, put it on the growing stack of collapsed boxes in the foyer, and joined her at the linen closet. She was stretching to place some towels on the top shelf when he took them effortlessly from her hands and stacked them neatly for her.

Bella turned into his arms. "Thanks for adding 'assisting the vertically challenged' to your duties of 'serving and protecting,'" she murmured.

"Anytime, ma'am," he drawled, as he swooped in for a kiss. Bella eagerly obliged, and before either of them knew it, they making out like a couple of teenagers. The buzzer from the doorman downstairs saved them from what would have probably turned into a lengthy make-out session.

Edward groaned and began to pull away, but Bella looked so damned sexy and thoroughly kissed, he had to steal a final kiss before he sprinted away to answer the buzzer.

He pressed the button and engaged the intercom. "Cullen here."

A disembodied male voice came over the speaker. "Mr. Cullen, Steinway Piano Gallery is here with your delivery. They'll be up on the freight elevator. ETA ten minutes."

"Thank you," Edward said and released the button to sign off.

Bella joined him in the living room and positioned the rug on the floor where the piano would be placed. He pretended to tackle her, and she shrieked and went limp in his arms. Laying her gently on the rug, he hovered over her and muttered against her neck, "Now where were we?"

"Right here seems as good a place as any," she whispered huskily. "You've got eight minutes to rock my world, super-cop."

"Only eight minutes?" he complained. "I'll just have to send the delivery men away." He began leisurely nibbling and teasing her lips.

"No don't send them away," she mumbled against his lips. "I was looking forward to you playing for me—today." She wound her fingers through his hair and held his head steady for a kiss that went straight to his groin.

Edward feebly attempted the Taps trick, but it was failing him miserably where Bella was concerned. His anatomy had been rebelling against the mind over matter issue ever since her Splendor in the Grass moment. He had been following her lead on the intimacy thing and as a result, cold showers had become almost a daily occurrence.

Bella was not oblivious of his struggles, so she had made a concerted effort to refrain from pushing the envelope. But even when she was behaving in the chastest of manners, he still found himself frequently turned on by a gesture, a movement, a glimpse of her firm ass or shapely legs, the curve of her lips when she smiled only for him.

He willed himself to break the kiss and then stood up, extending a hand to pull her up off the rug. "I guess we'd better cool it, then," he said reluctantly.

"And I was just beginning to feel the first tremor of world-rocking," she teased. She took his other hand and gazed up into his eyes. "What kind of boyfriend are you, leaving a girl hanging like that?"

"The kind who doesn't want to be found guilty of taking your virginity on a throw rug," he chuckled nervously, but they both knew the real possibility was always there, lurking in the background.

"No, we're saving that for the piano. We could have a real 'Pretty Woman' moment on that beautiful instrument," she giggled. He got a visual of her draped across his piano in fire-engine red lingerie.

He groaned inwardly at the mental image. "Another Richard Gere movie? I'm beginning to wonder if you like him just a little bit more than Renee does."

She laughed. "Heck, yeah. He's the only gray-haired man I'd seriously consider giving some play."

"You know that's kinda disgusting, right? He's older than your dad."

"Well—you asked," she said with a smirk. "Besides, I think Richard Gere is probably one of the best on-screen kissers I've ever had the pleasure of viewing."

"Let's see on-screen top this," he said and planted another hot one on her rosy lips. By the time the doorbell announced the arrival of the delivery men, Bella was quivering in Edward's arms, and he had a raging hard-on.

The three deliverymen were efficient, and they had the piano uncovered, set up, and tuned in under an hour. Edward saw them to the door and gave them a tip.

"Now, I'm going to give you a tip," the piano tuner said. "Your Steinway Parlor Grand is sturdy and is a purchase I'm sure you and your wife will enjoy in _many_ ways. After the piano has settled here in your new home and gotten used to the humidity levels, I'll be back to tune it again in about two weeks. Good day Mr. and Mrs. Cullen." Neither he nor Bella bothered to correct the man on his assumption.

After closing the door, Edward turned to Bella with a smirk. "Well, Mrs. Cullen," he teased, "I'm not sure, but I think we just got permission from the piano tuner to christen the piano in any way we see fit."

They laughed so hard it took almost half an hour before he was able to play without losing his place or fumbling a key.

Later, they ordered take-out and settled in for the evening. Edward was nervous about posing his question to Bella. When they finished eating she began clearing the table, but he took her hand and led her away from the dining room into the living room.

"Leave it a while. I want to talk to you about something," he said with a smile, hoping it would put her at ease.

Bella looked curious but returned his smile and followed him willingly into the living room.

They were seated together on the sofa when he dove right in. "Bella, I know you can't live here _with_ me, but I want to propose a compromise."

She looked dubiously at him, a half-smile on her lips. "O—kay, let's hear this compromise."

"Why don't you move in here temporarily and I'll move into your apartment?" He took her hand in his and laced his fingers through hers. "This place is extremely secure, and I wouldn't worry as much with you here as I would with just the ADT system to protect you."

Bella frowned. "But you just moved in. It wouldn't be fair for you to have to move before you've had a chance to break in your new place."

"I'll have plenty of time for that. Your safety is paramount, and I bought this place with that primary objective in mind. This will be your home for as long as we need it to be until we've caught the stalker and put him behind bars."

Lately, Edward referred to the stalker generically because the DMV report revealed that both Laurent Beauvoir and James Hall owned gold vehicles with license plate numbers beginning with the letters SK. Apparently they had both moved into Leon County around the same time.

The weekend of the assault in Destin, James had conveniently gone back to Atlanta to be close to his sponsor and had checked himself into rehab for a while at his sponsor's insistence. Edward still wanted to interrogate him when he returned to Tallahassee.

According to an informant, Beauvoir was making frequent trips to Miami with the intent of making Tallahassee his permanent base of operations once he established a direct connection to suppliers in Columbia. In addition, the same informant told Edward that Laurent had a vendetta against some preacher's daughter. This information had chilled Edward. He'd shared the information only with his superiors, Emmett, Rosalie, and Charlie Swan. He didn't want Bella to worry or be afraid, but he had impressed upon her how important it was for them to continue to be cautious about her comings and goings.

After Bella had recuperated and returned to her apartment, Edward, Emmett, and Seth took turns watching her place when he wasn't able to spend the night there. Emmett's imminent honeymoon necessitated the quick move the condo; otherwise it would have been down to Edward and Seth, and Edward didn't want to call in all his favors with his friends just yet.

"If you think it's necessary, I'll stay here." Bella capitulated easily, and Edward breathed a huge sigh of relief.

~888~

Bella, Rosalie, Alice, and the four other bridesmaids were riding in a limo down Apalachee Parkway toward the Capitol Building. They had spent the day together being pampered to the max and were finally on their way to St. Thomas More Catholic Church on Tennessee Street to get dressed for the wedding.

"I'm always calmed when riding toward the Capitol Building, because it looks just like my favorite part of the male anatomy," Rose said serenely.

They all cackled at Rosalie's bluntness.

"There she goes again." Alice rolled her eyes playfully.

Tracy, Rosalie's friend from Tennessee, said in her trilling southern belle drawl, "Oh my gosh, Rosalie, it does look like a gigantic pecker, and those domes on either side do rather look like a massive set of family jewels."

"Emmett still hasn't figured out why I get so horny when we happen to drive down this way. I may never tell him."

"Let him keep thinking it's him," her friend Lisa from North Carolina, giggled. "That'll be a real boon for his ego."

"Not that he needs a boost of confidence. He is easily the most arrogant man I know when it comes to his sexual prowess. Trust me—wouldn't faze him at all," Rosalie sniffed. "I wouldn't tell him because then he'd be expecting something every time."

Bella knew her face was probably a nice shade of rose. Rosalie's candor about all things sexual never failed to make her blush. But she'd grown to love Rosalie as much as she loved Angela and Alice. In the weeks she had been Rosalie's closest confidante regarding all her wedding plans, they had forged a true friendship. It was safe to say that she and Emmett knew Rosalie better than anyone else did.

_They had been running wedding errands together at Governor's Square Mall, and Rosalie had been spooked by a guy who got a little too close to Bella. Before Bella could figure out what was going on, Rosalie had decked the guy, grabbed her hand, and ran full out with her to Rosalie's car, shopping bags flapping in their hands all the way. _

_When Bella was able to get her breath back and stop giggling from the exhilaration, she asked,_ _"What was that all about?"_

"_You're not getting hurt again on my watch," Rosalie said, gripping the wheel and taking the turn out of the mall onto Governor's Square Boulevard like she was Evel Knievel._

"_But what if you hurt that guy back there?"_

"_Better him than you," Rosalie said soberly. "Edward trusts me with you and I'm not taking any chances."_

_Bella would have accepted that and moved on had she not seen something almost feral in the way Rosalie had attacked that guy. There was much more to it than protecting someone she'd just met, particularly the girlfriend of her fiancé's best friend._

"_Wanna talk about what really frightened you back there?"_

_Rosalie concentrated on her driving and didn't respond. She decided Rosalie was deep in thought and hadn't registered the question, but Rosalie turned off Magnolia behind the CVS Pharmacy and pulled into the lot of the Borders Bookstore._

"_Come on, I'll buy you one of those high-caffeine drinks you like so much and tell you why I became a law enforcement officer," she said in her gruff police officer's voice. But Bella didn't mind, because she could tell Rose was hiding her true feelings of caring._

_They entered the Borders coffee shop from the patio and were served right away. Quickly finding an empty table, they sat and Rosalie began sharing her sad saga._

"_When I was sixteen, I was living a life very similar to any reasonably attractive teenage girl who was popular in high school. I made good grades, I was a cheerleader, in all the right clubs, and looking forward to going off to college, riding my popularity right along with me. _

_My boyfriend at that time was the quarterback of the team and could do no wrong in the eyes of our little community. I thought I loved him. We had similar backgrounds and a love for cars and racing in common. We'd never had sex because I was waiting until the right time—maybe in our senior year when we were headed to college, hopefully together. That year, the team advanced to the championships but lost the final game to our arch rivals. Royce was upset about the loss. He cried like a baby, and I tried to be supportive like a good girlfriend should. So I comforted him in the only way I knew how. We began to make out, but when I realized how far we'd gone, I tried to rein him in. But Royce was like an animal. He wouldn't stop when I asked him to."_

_Bella was appalled. "Your boyfriend raped you?"_

"_Yes, but he insisted that wasn't what happened. When I told my parents, my school counselor, the police, anyone who would listen, they didn't really believe me because Royce Lambert was beloved by everyone. I became the social pariah because I was accusing the golden boy of something that surely he could not have done. I had seduced him, so I was the bad girl." Rosalie breathed deeply and continued_.

"_I moved on from that, and I really was looking forward to blowing that Popsicle stand and never returning because there had been no justice for what happened to me. Unfortunately, I did not get out unscathed. During our senior year, Royce begged and pleaded until he convinced my parents that he wanted to let bygones be bygones. He said he wanted to show me that he was really sorry for what he had done. He insisted that we should go to prom together. I turned him down, but my parents insisted that I go. Some parents, huh? _

_I couldn't wait until prom was over. I just wanted to go home and never see Royce again, but he had other plans. He took me to the football field under the guise that he just wanted to say goodbye to the gridiron with his girl by his side. Royce and his friends had been drinking from flasks all night and were pretty drunk. When we arrived at the stadium, four of his friends were already there." Tears began coursing down Rosalie's cheeks. "I can't bear to repeat the ways in which they used me on the fifty yard line of our high school football field."_

_Bella's heart broke for Rosalie. She moved her chair closer to her and wrapped her arms around her._ _"Rosalie, I'm so sorry. I can't begin to fathom what that incident did to you—how you dealt with that. To have survived such unthinkable brutality, and at the hands of someone you once loved and trusted."_

"_It's taken a lot of years of therapy and a career that has been a gift. Frankly, being able to help people has allowed me to put what was done to me in my past and move forward__.__ But as you saw earlier, I still flip out sometimes when guys get too close and too familiar too soon," Rose said wryly._

_Bella released Rosalie when she wriggled. She was still not comfortable with the mushy stuff. "Surely Royce and those monsters were brought to justice that time, right?"_

"_Not in the way I would have liked, but there was justice," Rosalie said quietly. "My brothers, Keith and Jonathan, had always been into cars and racing, and I learned everything I could from them about it and got very good at racing. My brothers were the only ones who believed me about Royce, by the way. They tried to defend me, but Royce always had his mini-mafia around so their skirmishes always turned into brawls. After they were arrested the second time, I made them promise not to fight about it anymore. _

_I would go home every summer and drive in some of the local amateur races in Daytona. I knew that eventually I might run into Royce. I was surprised to find him entered in a race I was driving in the summer after my sophomore year at FSU. He foolishly went head-to-head with me, but I wouldn't allow him to pass. He got angry and tried to run me off the speedway, but I was too good. He crashed and burned. His parents tried to press charges against me, but there were too many witnesses to his carelessness. _

_He held on for twenty-four hours, but he was burned over seventy-five percent of his body. He didn't make it. It was only after that incident that I really found the courage to major in criminal justice and enter the police academy after graduation. One of Royce's friends went to prison and, after getting a dose of jailhouse religion, finally told the truth about what they had done to me. My parents and friends had some huge apologies to make, but by that time it was too late. The three remaining rapists went to prison, too."_

"_They got what they deserved," Bella said with finality. "So, how did you meet Emmett? Was it while all this was going on?"_

"_He was on the football team at FSU. So naturally, after what had happened with Royce and his buddies, I steered clear of football players, but Emmett wouldn't give up. He was adorable and very patient, even though he had girls beating down his door. It took me a while to warm up to him, but when I did I knew he was the one. _

"_However, he didn't know all of my past and he was kind of full of himself and sowing all the wild oats he could while in college. When he refused to stop messing around with the skanks, I broke up with him. I had met this junior senator while doing a project at the Capitol__,_ _so I began dating him. I think it made Emmett jealous, because a few months later he came back for me with a vengeance."_

"_When did you tell him about the incident with Royce?"_

"_He blew out his knee in his final season at FSU, and I became his caregiver. He was a mess. I've never seen a man so depressed before in my life. Ooh, I take that back. Edward was pretty fucked up when you got hurt in Destin."_

_Bella frowned. "Really?"_

"_He loves you, Bella. And that's a big deal for Edward. His childhood was almost as crappy as my teenage nightmare."_

"_So you told Emmett when he was recuperating from his injury?"_

"_Yes, because I needed his ass to understand that people experience even more difficult things in life than the loss of an NFL career and lived through it. That solidified us as a couple, and then he understood why I had put him off for so long in the beginning. I refused to let the experience I had with those boys steal my chance for a loving relationship with a real man." _

_Bella knew then that Rosalie Hale, soon to be McCarty, would be her friend for a long time. She had triumphed over an experience that would have left many women broken and devastated for life. What Rosalie had gone through was incomprehensible to Bella. Officer Rosalie Hale was her hero._

~888~

It was all Edward could do not to bolt down the aisle to the door where he knew Bella was standing with Rosalie and her other bridesmaids. He was anxious because he had not seen her since the rehearsal dinner the night before. After the dinner, the men had gone with him and the women with Bella to keep with the tradition of the bride and groom not seeing each other before the wedding.

He'd hosted a bachelor party for Emmett in a suite at the Hotel Duval. Bella and the rest of the bridal party had some celebrating of their own to do. Since they had been consuming copious amounts of alcohol at said parties, they decided to stay at the hotel. Then early this morning the women had left to get the obligatory beauty treatments they insisted they all needed, despite the fact that they'd all looked just fine to him and their respective men. Edward, meanwhile, had taken the guys for a sedentary round of golf at the Seminole Golf Course.

The cathedral at St. Thomas More was rather imposing. The majestic stained glass windows that regaled the walls of the sanctuary were ornate, yet breathtakingly beautiful. However, his appreciation for the architectural beauty of the church paled in comparison to his appreciation of the beauty of the maid of honor, who stood alone as the ushers opened the door. Edward breathed a sigh of relief when the organ music came up and his mother began a rousing rendition of _Pachelbel's Canon in D_. Bella slowly walked to where Edward, Emmett, and Monsignor Tanner stood waiting in front of the altar.

As Bella floated down the aisle to join them, Edward actually appreciated all she had done to get ready for the day, despite his earlier belief that she would not be able to improve upon perfection. She was a vision that agreed with her name. Her eyes and smile were only for him as she approached wearing a gorgeous strapless, dress in a color that it seemed had been chosen just for her. Bella's hair was swept up, making her look ethereal. Just before she turned to take her place opposite them, she smiled and winked provocatively at him.

He groaned and began his Taps trick. Emmett tried to speak to him without moving his mouth as Alice and Jasper began to walk toward them.

"Calm down, Edwina. The Monsignor is doing an abbreviated version of the Mass, so you'll get your hands on her soon enough."

Edward would have punched him but being in a church for a wedding did require a bit of decorum. He couldn't blame Emmett for that comment. The night before he had threatened several times to crash the girls' bachelorette party just to check on Bella, but Emmett wouldn't let him. Even drunk, Emmett was a light sleeper and had caught him trying to text Bella in the middle of the night. Edward finally gave up and fell asleep frustrated and alone in his hotel bed.

The rest of the wedding ceremony was a blur because Edward didn't see anyone else after Bella and Alice until the bride herself entered. Edward heard Emmett's sharp intake of breath when Rosalie entered, heralded by _Mendelssohn's Wedding March_ in Elizabeth Masen Cullen's signature arrangement. Rosalie had asked her eldest brother Keith, to do the honors and walk her down the aisle, since her father had been stricken with MS and was wheelchair-bound. She had been really close to Keith growing up.

Rosalie was a radiant bride, and Edward felt certain as he witnessed his friends exchange their vows that he wanted this someday with Bella. After they had genuflected about a half dozen times, the Wedding Mass was done, and the vows said, the Monsignor pronounced them as Mrs. and Mrs. Emmett McCarty, Edward finally had his Bella on his arm. They walked in a procession around the church and re-entered the sanctuary through another door after the guests had filed out.

Before the picture-taking commenced, Edward pulled Bella around a corner and kissed her thoroughly, only releasing her when she pushed insistently against his chest.

"Someone missed me," she whispered in mock awe, her breathing ragged.

"You have no idea," he murmured, drinking her in with his eyes. "I'm so glad we're going back to the condo tonight."

"Me too," she moaned. Her hands traveled up his back and felt the outline of his gun harness. She frowned and said in a chastising tone, "Edward Cullen, why, pray tell, are you armed in a church?"

"The last time we let our guard down for fun times the stalker got vicious. It's a precaution, but one I don't regret taking. Besides Emmett, Seth, and several other officers are armed as well."

"And Rosalie was all right with her groom wearing a gun as they said their vows?"

"Come on, she's Rosalie."

Bella grinned. "You're right. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't have one concealed under that dress somewhere, too."

Edward grew serious. "I need you to stay in my sight at all times tonight, okay?"

"Are you gonna take bathroom breaks with me, too?" she teased.

He smirked and raised an eyebrow. "If you want me to."

"In your dreams. My parents and your mother are going to be at the reception. I doubt they'd agree with that arrangement."

"Well, do the women's group bathroom thing. Promise me you won't go anywhere alone. Hell, I'll escort you, stand outside, and guard the door, if you want me to."

"Um, thanks, but I think I'll take my chances with the girls." She took his hand and tugged him forward. "Rosalie's gonna be calling us in a few minutes—"

Rosalie's bark cut her off. "Bella and Edward! Get in here now!"

~888~

Their drive from the church to the FSU Alumni Center was just a short distance on Tennessee Street and was uneventful. Once they arrived, the wedding party took their seats at the head of the ballroom for a sit-down dinner with Emmett and Rosalie's two hundred guests.

Besides the obligatory champagne toasts, Edward didn't drink much at the reception. He wanted to be clearheaded when they left for the night because if he were the stalker and intended to make an attempt, it would be after the party when everyone was impaired. After dinner, they followed the bride and groom onto the dance floor.

Edward had a great time dancing with Bella in such a festive setting. The only person he allowed to cut-in was Charlie Swan, and he did so grudgingly. But he didn't allow his reluctance to release Bella to show, especially where her father was concerned. He took a turn with Renee and was surprised to find that she was an excellent dancer.

Edward smiled as he moved effortlessly with Renee across the dance floor. "Now I know where Bella gets her rhythm and grace."

"You're not so bad yourself, Edward." She then whispered conspiratorially, "The first year we were together Charlie stepped on my feet all the time."

Edward chuckled. "Not the Good Reverend."

"Oh yeah," Renee assured him. "Charlie was two left feet personified. "

"I'll have to tease him about that—maybe a couple of years from now," Edward said with a grimace.

"Puh—leez, with the way he gives you grief? Give it right back to him. He'll respect that."

"Thanks, I'll remember that the next time he's scowling at me for whatever sin he thinks I've committed."

When the song ended, Charlie whisked Renee away from Edward, and Bella was nabbed by Emmett for a dance, while Rosalie danced with her younger brother, Jonathan. Edward scanned the crowd and found his mother. Carlisle had kept her and Esme busy trading dances with them, so Edward took an opportunity to dance with his mother for a change.

Elizabeth was delighted and giggling like a schoolgirl as he spun her expertly around the dance floor.

"I had forgotten what a great dancer you are, son. Your father was excellent, as well." Elizabeth's peridot eyes were sparkling.

"I vaguely remember you two spinning around the living room floor in happier times," Edward said dryly.

"Bella is a beautiful maid of honor. She'll make an even more beautiful bride someday."

Edward wasn't offended by his mother's comment as he might have been several months ago. He smiled at his mother. "Aren't mothers supposed to object to, or at the very least discourage, their sons from becoming emotionally entangled before the age of thirty?"

"Only an insecure mother would do that. Despite our differences in the past, I only want what's best for you. It seems that Bella has changed you for the better, irrevocably."

"I sincerely hope so. If there is anything I would pray for, it would be that the apple has fallen far enough from the tree so I can be the kind of man she needs."

"Edward, I know what our failed marriage and your father's influence did to color your opinion of the fairer sex. And my fanaticism has made you skittish about the faith, but if you feel so inclined, do pray. It works."

"Something Rev. Swan reminds me about weekly," he said with a smile.

"It's a different world dating a pastor's daughter, isn't it?"

"It's not without its challenges, but Bella makes it palatable."

The song ended, and Edward wasn't sure what came over him. Maybe the mood set by the wedding made him more sentimental, but he hugged his mother and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Your arrangements were exquisite today," he murmured.

"Thank you, Edward. I know that's a fair assessment coming from you." She smiled. "I know that you young people will party late into the night, but I think maybe I should be getting home."

Bella gave Emmett and Rosalie a hug and made a beeline for them. Edward noticed how his mother's face lit up when Bella gave her a big hug.

"Mrs. Cullen, you played beautifully today, as usual. How have you been? Your son has had me in protective custody. Sorry, I haven't been out to see you lately."

"Thank you, Bella. I'm doing really well. Edward's only looking out for your well-being. Maybe we can have lunch after church tomorrow—my treat," Elizabeth said to Bella but looked to Edward for confirmation.

Edward looked to Bella who nodded in the affirmative. "That would be great, Mother," he said. "We'll meet you after our services then?"

They followed Elizabeth to her table where she retrieved her purse.

"I might as well worship at City of Hope tomorrow, and we can leave from there together," she said before turning to Bella. "I love the choir at City of Hope—so full of life—and your solos are par excellence, bar none."

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen."

Rosalie came over and grabbed Bella's hand. "Maid of Honor, I need you."

"We were saying goodbye to Mrs. Cullen," Bella said, tugging back.

"Sorry," Rosalie said contritely. She hugged Elizabeth briefly. "Thanks so much for coming, Mrs. Cullen, and playing for us. You made our day very special."

Edward squeezed Bella's hand. "Go ahead, babe. I'll walk Mother to her car and be right back."

Bella took Rosalie's hand, and they went off to do whatever bidding Rosalie had dreamed up for her. When Edward offered his mother his arm, she graciously took it; and they left the ballroom and exited the building. Although it was early evening, the air was still thick with humidity from the hot day as was par for the course. It was like walking into another season when they left the building. Edward automatically loosened his tie.

"Where are you parked?" he asked.

"The parking lot on the right just past the courtyard."

He guided them toward the parking lot. "Mother, I'm going to have to go to Indiana eventually. I have some vacation time coming up, but I guess the timing will all depend on whether the stalker is found. I won't feel comfortable leaving Bella before then."

"Your father was always a reasonable man despite his flair for the bawdy excesses of life. You may find him mellowed a bit in his older age."

"Mellowed or not, he owes me an apology that's eleven years overdue. I don't see why I have to be the one to extend the olive branch here, but Dr. Levy is insisting that I need to confront him."

"Might I suggest that you begin by reading those letters and cards he sent you over the years? They're still in your room, unopened."

"You could suggest it, but I remember reading a few of his letters early on. He wrote as if everything was fine as far as he was concerned, and I was the one who had offended his wife."

"Things might have changed. You won't know unless you make the effort," she encouraged.

"Have you heard something through Uncle Carlisle? Is this why you're so gung-ho for me to contact him after all this time?"

Elizabeth stopped and looked up into his eyes. "Son, your father is ill. All his years of hard drinking have caught up with him. He's a mess. Irina left him and Carlisle is concerned that he's not following doctor's orders."

"And I'm supposed to care, why?"

"Because he's your father, albeit a—what is you young people say—a crappy one?"

"I won't argue with you there."

"I'll tell you what; if you promise to make the trip soon, I'll go with you to make it easier."

"I might just take you up on that," he said, and they began walking in the general direction of her car again.

As they approached Elizabeth's Cadillac, Edward saw some words spray-painted on her car. A figure dressed in black was concentrating so intently on his efforts he didn't see them approaching. Edward pushed his mother between two large SUVs.

"Mother, get down!" he hissed, and he quickly kneeled on the ground beside her. He opened his tuxedo jacket and had his service weapon in his hand within seconds.

"What—?"

Edward put a finger to his lips to silence her. "Someone is vandalizing your car," he whispered. "Stay right here." Elizabeth's eyes grew huge when she saw Edward brandishing his service weapon. "It'll be all right, Mother. I'll be right back to get you, I promise."

Edward moved to the rear of the SUVs and decided to go around and surprise the vandal. As he rounded a pickup, he looked through the window of the cab of the truck and saw that he was about twenty feet from the vandal, who'd just emptied the spray paint can and dropped it to the pavement. He was about to begin spraying with another can when Edward called out.

"Tallahassee PD, drop it!"

The vandal froze and dropped the paint can but did not turn around.

"Put your hands over your head and turn around," Edward ordered.

He raised one gloved hand, then the other. Edward moved from the end of the truck and approached. As the vandal heard his footsteps, one of his hands went down, and he simultaneously turned around and fired a weapon. Edward had to dive behind the bed of the truck for cover, although the bullet didn't come anywhere near him. He rolled on the pavement and took aim while lying prone on the ground. The vandal took off running, but Edward got off two rounds. One struck the culprit in his left shoulder, but he kept running.

Elizabeth called to him, "Edward! Edward, are you all right?"

"Yes, Mother, I'm fine," he yelled back to her. Edward heard a car squeal to a stop, and as he stood up, he saw a gold sedan with two people in it, barreling out of the parking lot.

The stalker had an accomplice, and apparently his mother was now a target.

**E/N: **Please support the campaign to help Nashville residents who were affected by the flood. I plan to write a one-shot for this endeavor


	27. Ch 26 TLC: Closer

**A/N: I am so happy to have another chapter as an offering to you, Dear Readers. Over the past month, I have been beset with real life issues that robbed me of my creativity. I have learned to never force a chapter when I am not in the right frame of mind. With that said, I want to thank you for being patient and sticking by me during my times of trials. **

**My betas were behind me 100% and I want to thank them personally for always supporting me: Charmie77, acireamos, SSHG316 and SavageWoman. I also want to thank Irritable Grizzzly for ridding my writing of fandom clichés and romance novel cheesiness all in one fell swoop with her twitchy red pen.**

**This chapter is dedicated to my fandom friend, my reader extraordinaire, Edwardbabymomma. Nic has been chomping at the bit for some intimacy between these two beyond second base. Luckily for her, my mojo's muse was smut this chapter. hehehe **

**CLOSER**

**by Corinne Bailey Rae**

**Your love is so good that I want to show you  
Don't make me responsible, **

**for something that you can't find  
Ohhh  
Your loving is so good, so good, the closer  
I want it, I want it  
Intimate...**

**I want it, I want it,  
Leave it right here...  
I want to get close to you, baby  
Experience...  
I want it, I want it  
Generous...  
Lay down what's impeding you  
Cause I want to get close to you**

_**For your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.—Psalm 26:3**_

**Chapter 26 – TLC - Closer**

Edward eyed the foul words and threats drawn on his mother's Cadillac as he flipped open his cellphone and dialed dispatch. Since he and all his colleagues inside the reception were technically off-duty, he needed to call someone in to work the crime scene and interface with the FSU campus police.

He made his way back to where his mother was and helped her gingerly to her feet. She was trembling and near tears, so he held her until she was calm. They were inspecting her car in disbelief, but maintaining a perimeter so the crime scene wouldn't be disturbed when a couple of cruisers and the FSU campus police pulled into the parking lot.

The responding officers gave Edward some latitude once he identified himself as one of their own. They made relatively short work of what could have dragged on for hours, and he was thankful that the reception was in such full-swing that none of the guests were alerted by what had transpired in the parking lot. Only a few departing guests and pedestrians who happened to be nearby were aware that anything was going on.

"You can file your report and see the police psychologist Monday. We know how to get you if we need anything else, Cullen," Officer Donovan said. "Go on back in and finish up your best man duties, and give McCarty our congrats."

Edward took his mother's arm, and they headed back into the reception. "Mother, you should probably stay at my place with Bella tonight."

"With Bella?" Elizabeth's brow furrowed.

Edward got a little nervous in spite of himself. "Um, yeah, Bella's staying at the condo while I've been staying at her place. The security is better there."

"I'm not sure if Bella would like to have your mother as a roommate, son."

"Really, Mom, she won't mind."

They met Carlisle and Esme on the way out.

"Elizabeth, we thought you'd be home by now," Esme began. Then a look of concern creased her brow when she saw how shaken Elizabeth was. "What happened, Edward?"

"Mother's car was vandalized. And from the looks of it, by the same person or persons who've been stalking Bella," Edward explained.

Esme steered her sister-in-law to some chairs against the wall, and they sat down as she talked softly with her. Carlisle moved a distance away from the women, a frown marring his usually pleasant features.

"They seem to be getting braver. Any theories about what's happening here, Edward?"

"The perp wrote things on the car like 'you can't protect them all,' 'death to the cop's mom,' and 'kill your girlfriend' among other vile things." Edward's eyes flashed dark green with anger. "The bastard is after me, but is trying to hurt me through people I care about."

"Still no positive ID, then?"

"No." Edward ran his hand through his hair agitatedly. "Whoever's doing this is smart and always manages to be just a step ahead of me. Uncle Carlisle, you and Aunt Esme need to be careful—they might try coming after you, too."

"Our neighborhood is very secure, as is the house. I'll make sure Esme is aware, so she can take precautions while I'm at work."

"Mom's home is vulnerable, so I'm going to take her to the condo until we can make some arrangements for her safety in Crawfordville."

"Elizabeth can come home with us. She'll be safe there, and she and Esme can travel together during the day if they need to go out. Hell, I'll hire a bodyguard if you feel it's necessary."

"I was thinking of doing the same for Mother since the perp took a shot at me, although it was a poorly aimed one. I know Mother won't want to stay away from home for long, so I'll have no choice but to hire someone."

Getting Bella back to the condo alone was something he'd been looking forward to all day, and to have their evening disrupted by a shifting of living arrangements wasn't something he'd bargained for. "If Mother is amenable to staying with you tonight, I won't object."

They moved back toward the women, and Carlisle addressed his wife. "Honey, I've invited Elizabeth home with us until Edward can sort out some things." Esme smiled and nodded.

Elizabeth looked relieved. "Thanks, Carlisle, Esme." She smiled ruefully. "My son offered me shelter at his place with Bella, but I'm sure they'll both be glad not to have me in the way."

"Are you sure, Mother?" Edward asked anxiously. "You wouldn't be—"

"Son, as much as I like Bella and I'm sure she likes me, I think she would rather not have her evening with you cut short by my imposition." Elizabeth stood and dusted his tux with her hands. "Esme and Carlisle are more my speed, anyway."

Although reluctant, he decided it was best to give in before he made them all uneasy with his tension. The stalkers were armed and not afraid to use weapons, and although he knew he couldn't be everywhere at one time to protect all of his family, he was damn sure going to try.

~888~

Edward briefed Seth and some of his other colleagues about the incident, and they promised to be on high alert until the reception ended. He didn't want any surprises when Emmett and Rosalie left to begin their honeymoon. About an hour after they'd cut the cake, thrown the bouquet—which was caught by Angela—and thrown the garter belt—which landed in Edward's hair—the remaining guests sent Emmett and Rosalie off through a hail of bubbles. Edward, Seth, and four other officers in attendance formed a perimeter around the crowd and scoured the parking lot for suspicious people and vehicles.

He also told Bella about what happened, because he wanted her to stay alert and be careful even when he couldn't be with her. Performing her Maid of Honor duties and helping Rosalie had kept Bella so preoccupied, she hadn't had time to wonder where Edward was, let alone gone looking for him; and for that he was grateful.

Edward realized that through the wedding planning, preparation, and this special weekend for Emmett and Rosalie, Bella and Rosalie had become true friends. It made him happy that Bella was blending so seamlessly into his life, and as he watched her hugging Rosalie one last time before Emmett helped his bride into the back of the limousine, he knew he had never seen her look more beautiful. Her brown eyes were sparkling as she looked up and found him gazing at her.

As the limousine pulled away and the guests raucously bid the bride and groom adieu, he and Bella were drawn together like magnets. When she melted into his arms, he held her close, inhaling her familiar scent. He didn't open his eyes until he heard a definitively male throat being cleared.

Charlie had a rather impassive look on his face, and Renee, as usual, was beaming.

"Hey kids, we're heading home," Renee said as she opened her arms to her daughter. As Bella moved from his arms to her mother's, Edward kept his eyes on Charlie.

Charlie extended a hand to Edward, and he shook it. "Goodnight, Reverend Swan."

"I heard about what happened here earlier," Charlie said without preamble. He didn't smile, but he didn't scowl either. However, his voice had a menacing almost threatening tone. "Take care of my baby girl, Edward."

Bella pulled out of her mother's arms and looked at her father. "Dad!"

Edward's eyes held Charlie's, letting him know he understood. "You can count on it, sir."

Renee's hazel eyes shot daggers at her husband. She turned away from him, moved to give Edward a firm hug and a smile. Then she looked from him to Bella. "See you two at church tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," Edward affirmed.

"Goodnight," Renee said as she took Charlie's hand and shook it, as if to chastise him.

"Goodnight," Charlie muttered, grinning good-naturedly at his wife.

"Goodnight," Edward and Bella said almost in unison, and her parents turned and walked to their car. Edward took Bella's hand, and they joined their friends and remaining members of the wedding party and re-entered the FSU Alumni Center.

They quickly retrieved their belongings. Jasper, Ben, and Seth helped Edward load the car while Alice and Bella collected the cake top and the other personal items Rosalie had left in their care, including the gifts.

Before they knew it, they were in the car and pulling into the garage at the Tennyson building on Monroe Street. Although not really tired, they decided to leave the unpacking of the car for morning, with exception of the cake top. Bella brought it up and stored it in the freezer.

Edward loved how she'd grown so comfortable in his condo in just a few weeks. He could see her there with him on a permanent basis, making it the kind of home that he had longed for but had only fleetingly as a child.

They entered the master suite and promptly began shucking clothes. She disappeared into the massive walk-in closet, while he found a pair of comfortable sweats in a drawer and tugged them on, not bothering with a shirt. He laid his tux neatly on the wing chair in the corner. When Bella emerged from the closet in a Spelman tank and shorts, sans bra, he felt a stirring down below that betrayed his constant hunger for her.

She smiled broadly and hurled herself into his arms. He stumbled backward as they fell on the huge king-sized bed, and he rolled them so they were lying on their sides facing one another.

"Ugh," Bella said, "I love Rosalie and Emmett, but I'm so glad that's over."

"You can say that again," he mumbled as his lips got busy tasting the sweet flesh of her exposed neck.

"Mmmm," Bella moaned. "I've missed these lips..."

He quickly stifled her words with his own lips, the urgency of the kiss heating them both to near boiling in seconds flat.

Damn, he wanted her so badly that his balls were almost tender to the touch. The irony of it all was that he knew Bella wanted him, too. She had said as much, so he knew that she could very easily break her promise if they weren't careful. Recently, every time they were together, there was a struggle to stay within the agreed-upon boundaries of physical intimacy. It was never machinated or calculated, but things just quickly escalated out of control whenever they were together.

He refused to go there tonight. He wanted to with every fiber of his being, but the incident with the stalker and accomplice had literally drained him, and he was too vulnerable to his need for her to play with fire tonight. Taking one final taste of her mouth, he broke the kiss, rolled away, and sat up.

Bella sat up, too, eyeing him quizzically. She rested her head on his shoulder and whispered, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I think I'm going to take a shower," he said abruptly. When he stood up and headed for the bathroom, the panic in her voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Edward!"

He turned, and she was right there, her hands touching him like she was trying to ascertain if he was in pain. "You have an angry-looking bruise on your left shoulder. Does it hurt?"

"No," he said truthfully. "My muscles are a little achy from rolling around on the parking lot pavement, but I'm good."

Her hands traveled from his shoulder to his hand. She took his hand in hers and pulled him back toward the bed. "I have an idea," she said. "Why don't I give you a massage?"

"A massage? Bella, I'm not sure—"

"I'm really good at it. Our gymnastics coach taught us how. It'll loosen up your muscles, and then a warm bath will complete the job."

He really shouldn't have, but he capitulated. While she disappeared in the bathroom to get some massage oil and other necessary items, he stripped to his boxers as she'd demanded, pulled the comforter off the bed, and lay flat on his stomach. She was gone so long, he was sure he'd taken a brief nap. Her warm hands sliding firmly over the planes and muscles of his back awakened him. She'd put her iPod in the iHome, and soft mood music was playing in the background—Corinne Bailey Rae's new album, "The Sea," her current obsession. The lights were dimmed and candles were lit in various places around the bedroom, and he was certain he heard water running in the bathroom. Bella was not exaggerating; she really was good, and despite the therapeutic nature of this activity, he couldn't help but get aroused by what she was doing.

Using both hands, she applied gentle pressure with the tips of her fingers in slow circular motions, moving up and down his back. She spent a lot of time warming up the large group of muscles on either side of his spine, identifying the knots in his muscles that needed to be worked out.

After getting his muscles warm and loose, she splayed her fingers out along his back, and with the pads of her thumbs, gently but more firmly began rubbing circles up and down the sides of his spine. As the massage progressed, she became more confident as she coaxed from him which pressures felt good and which did not. Her gentle murmurs were like foreplay, and as she worked the kinks out of his muscles and he became more and more relaxed, he became more and more horny.

Once Bella was done massaging the muscles along his spine, she worked up towards his shoulder. Every time she hit an area that felt especially tight, she very gently rubbed circles around and on top of the muscle, using the pads of her thumbs. He was surprised at how strong her hands were and at the magic they were creating.

She switched to using all four fingers to massage the muscles on either side of his back in a kneading motion. Then she steadily decreased the pressure she was exerting until she was only rubbing his back, soothing his thoroughly kneaded muscles.

"Aww, baby, that felt so good," he mumbled.

"I know, right?" she whispered. "Just relax. I'll be right back and finish taking care of you." He heard the jets engage in the jacuzzi, and she immediately returned to complete the massage.

Having given his upper body, shoulders, and arms a thorough work-over, she moved down to his lower body, beginning with his legs. As her hands traveled over the long muscles of his thighs, leaving him loose and relaxed there, as well, he felt like it couldn't get any better than this. But then she slathered more massage oil on her hands, slid them into his boxers, and began working over his glutes.

_Fuck! _

He got immediately stiff as a board; blood pounded in his loins with a throbbing so fierce, he felt like his balls might fall off completely.

"Bel-la!" he groaned. Edward didn't dare turn over, afraid she might be traumatized by how engorged he was.

She leaned her torso over until her chest was touching his back. He could feel her nipples through the thin fabric of her tank. "Shh," she soothed, "I'm almost done." Her hands worked their magic on his glutes, and toward the end, he felt like he was going to melt and seep through the mattress. He willed himself not to think of anything other than what was happening, or he would most certainly have jizzed in his boxers.

When she finished, she didn't immediately remove her hands, and he didn't move, either. He hummed a few bars of Taps so he could calm himself and she wouldn't see him standing at attention. Bella laid her torso over him lightly, once again, and whispered in his ear, "Time for your bath, sweetie."

He was so relaxed, yet he wanted her to stay close to him. "Do I have to move right now?" he murmured.

Bella lay down next to him, her hand running up and down his back languorously. "No, but your bath will get cold if we don't get you in there soon." She kissed him on the cheek and slid off the bed. He didn't raise his head, but his eyes followed her as she stood up. With her back to him, she crossed her arms in front of herself, caught the bottom of her tank with her fingers, and pulled it over her head. She threw the tank on the floor and moved slowly toward the bathroom door. When she was halfway there, she cupped her breasts in her hands and turned to him.

"Are you coming?" she taunted.

_I certainly hope I am!_

Her invitation gave him a burst of energy he didn't know he had. He jumped up off the bed and hurried into the bathroom behind her. Was she drunk? How much champagne did she have at the wedding? She was wriggling out of her shorts when he made it to the bathroom door, her back still to him.

"Bella?" He couldn't help it. He was drawn to her as she revealed the black thong she was wearing underneath. It framed her cheeks like a work of art, and even while he was tentative about what she was doing, his hands involuntarily cupped them. The throbbing in his groin grew even more intense.

"Hmmm?" She turned into his arms and pressed her breasts against him. When she felt the rest of him, hard and erect, come in contact with her lower body, her eyes grew wide fleetingly.

"Holy God," she murmured.

_Holy God, indeed, _he thought. Her hands got busy plying him with soft caresses. She was frantic, almost feverish in her need to touch him. He felt the same way.

He grunted as if she had struck him, so shocked he stuttered, "B-baby, you sure you want to do this?" An image of dragging her to the floor and hammering into her flashed in his mind, and it scared the shit out of him.

"Take a bath with you?" she quickly answered, "Yes."

"This is dangerous," he said.

"Only if we allow it to be." Her arms went around his neck, and her fingers dove into his hair. She slammed her tight gymnast's body against his and kissed him, trembling as the kiss intensified. He dipped his knees and molded her body to his and holding her so tightly, her feet left the floor when he stood tall again. His hands greedily explored her deliciously bare, round backside. Her hands were impatiently tugging his boxers down, and she cupped his ass making him moan helplessly into her mouth. In response, he hooked his thumbs into the lacy elastic of the thong on either side of her hips and dragged it down. They stepped back briefly and allowed their underwear to slip to the floor as they wriggled out of them, not breaking their kiss.

His breath shuddered in his lungs as he finally broke away to step back and look at her. Her lips were swollen, and her blush was everywhere. He closed his hands over her firm breasts and watched with rapt fascination as her eyes glazed over. Then he couldn't resist. He dipped his head, took one of her perfect breasts into his mouth, and sucked gently. She reacted as if it were sweet torture and urged him on as she writhed against him. Edward sucked harder until he knew that she could barely contain herself, and she let loose a guttural moan.

"Oh, baby!"

Her hands were greedily skimming over his musculature, kindling delicious fires of need deep within his loins. His erection lay heavy and swollen against her belly, perilously close to shooting a load without her having touched him there. She tried to get a hand between them to take him into her hands, but he encircled her wrists and raised her hands over her head while he took her lips again and devoured her mouth with his own.

"Don't," he said. "Not yet." Then he got a good look at the bathroom and realized she had planned the whole thing. There were candles everywhere, bubbles in the bath, the jets were on and the water looked warm and inviting. Somehow, she always knew when he was nearing his breaking point and responded to his needs, but he didn't want this to be another Deanie and Bud situation.

He narrowed his eyes. "How much champagne did you have at the wedding?" He tried to keep the suspicion out of his voice.

"Baby, believe me, I am not impaired in any way," she panted, her breathing ragged. "Ooh, I take that back. I might be sexually intoxicated, but I promise I'm not hyped up on any foreign substances." With that, her hands dove into his hair again, and she attacked his mouth, laying a kiss on him that went straight to his groin.

He didn't know which part of his anatomy he was thinking with, but he believed her. With a cocky smirk, he picked her up and carried her to the edge of the tub.

"Edward!" she squealed as she wound her arms tightly around his neck.

"I've got you. Don't worry." He carefully stepped into the tub, settled them in, and reached for her again. The fragrant water made her slippery, but his hands found purchase on her soft sexy hips and he pulled her to straddle him onto his lap as he began to kiss her mouth again.

His need for release was overwhelming, but he had his beautiful girlfriend naked in the bathtub, and he wanted this to last. Who knew when this would happen again? However, his conscience wouldn't let him continue without asking the questions. He released her mouth and gazed into her eyes that looked almost drunk with desire.

"Are you really sure about this?" he asked softly, running a hand from her shoulder to her thigh, his fingers gliding effortlessly over her soft skin in the water.

"Yes, I am," she said evenly, her chest rising and falling as if from physical exertion. "I want us to enjoy one another, as much as we can, without guilt or fear that we'll go too far." She caressed his face with her hand. "You need this, and I do, too."

That was all the convincing he needed. He decided he would slow down and they would enjoy these shared moments of intimacy. He kissed her softly and thoroughly, and then took the sponge and began to bathe her. He had the odd sense that this must have been how King David felt, but he wasn't just watching Bathsheba bathe, he was the one doing the bathing. Damn, he'd been really paying very close attention in Rev. Swan's Bible studies.

A combination of thoughts of Bible studies and Rev. Swan had him deflating quickly, but he wasn't worried. Her touch would have him responding again in no time. After he'd cleaned every possible part of her that he could see, his hands moved lower to the areas under the swirling sudsy water.

~888~

Bella's breath caught when his fingers touched her _there_ for the first time. She shivered as if she were cold, but she felt warmth radiating all over her body through each nerve ending. He expertly found her most sensitive spot, and she jerked slightly. But the gentle pressure from his fingers and the water soothed her, and she threw her head back, careful that her hair was hanging over the edge of the tub. Edward continued to caress her with his right hand and then moved his left from where it was lightly squeezing her hip to cup her breasts that were methodically submerging and re-emerging in the water as she writhed against his touch.

Never missing a beat as his hands danced and tortured her, he got onto his knees, leaned his torso over her, and found her mouth, swallowing the moans that were drowning out the strains of her favorite song, "Closer." His kiss made everything he was doing to her so much more intense, and she found herself quickly winding up for an extreme release. Edward was a virtuoso, and he played her like an instrument, her moans of desire the music. The circular motions of his hands below and on her fully aroused nipples, while his tongue kept time with hers, were all building to a crescendo as she spiralled out of control. Then he slipped a finger a fraction of an inch into her and curled it, touching a place that made her explode.

"Oh God… Oh Ed—ward! Ahhhh! Oh, baaaaby!"

Edward chuckled and held her above the water as she lost the use of her limbs while her orgasm wracked her body. When she'd somewhat recovered, she threw her arms around him and held him so tight, they both almost went underwater.

He grabbed the side of the tub with one hand and pulled them up while he held her behind her back to keep her from sinking underneath the water. "I take it that was good?" he inquired with a smug smile.

She blushed but answered anyway. "That... was beyond good."

Bella took the sponge and began to wash him as he had done her, taking care to perform a complete and thorough cleansing, even washing his hair. She looked up and saw his hooded eyes watching her with a heated gaze. She promptly dropped the sponge, attacked his neck, while her hands found his nipples and aroused them with lazy little circles.

Her hand slipped under the water and encircled him. The slight jerk of his body told her he wasn't expecting that, but as she began a smooth pumping motion, his groan of both pleasure and surprise made her smile.

His hand slid over the smooth skin of her backside as she continued to kiss his neck and caress him with her hand. Edward was afraid he might drown right there in the bathtub if he allowed her to continue torturing him, the palm of her hand slipping smoothly from base to tip in the warm, soapy water.

"Let's get out of here," he whispered in a voice raspy with lust. He stood, grabbed a couple of towels, and enveloped her with one of them, as she rose to join him. Almost racing to complete the task of drying themselves, they finished in record time and dropped the towels. As they came out of the bathroom, kissing and touching, they stumbled across the room until they fell, a mass of tangled arms and legs, onto the bed. Somehow, Bella landed on top. She straddled him and peppered his torso with kisses, nibbles, and bites that drove him wild. He tried to control the wildness of his need, but it had been too long. He gave her complete control of his system, because he had most certainly lost it.

Bella kissed a trail on his torso, where she scraped her teeth over his muscles until he trembled uncontrollably. As she nibbled down his happy trail, his breathing automatically hitched, and to his sheer and utter surprise, she took him into her mouth. Edward saw double when her lips closed over him, and she began to work him with her lips, teeth, and tongue. Fighting every instinct he had to thrust into her mouth and explode like an inexperienced teenager, he held on for as long as he could.

Watching her was one of the most erotic sights he'd ever seen, but the thought of coming in her mouth reminded him of all the others he'd done this with. Not wanting to relegate her to the same level as those women, he took her face firmly yet gently between his hands and pulled her back. He slid her up his torso, but before she could protest, he clamped his mouth to hers and she sucked his tongue into her mouth.

She placed her hand where her mouth had been and continued her motions, watching as his eyes clouded over and a powerful orgasm ripped through him, laying waste to every ounce of control he had left. His arms, which had been wrapped possessively around her, fell limp and useless at his sides, while Bella kissed his face and murmured endearments to him. The release left him replete physically, but he was always surprised by the emotion she evoked in him. This woman owned him heart and soul. He felt as if she had made a sacrifice that was only possible because of her selfless and unconditional love for him, and he was humbled by it.

Finally, he was able to bring his arms around her again as she lay on top of him, and he kissed her deeply. With one brow cocked in question, green eyes found brown as he held her aloft to look into her eyes.

"I don't know whether to thank you or ask where the hell you learned to do that."

Bella giggled. "Bachelorette parties are veritable hotbeds of information."

Then she commenced nibbling on his jaw. He was surprised that his ravaged system was struggling to respond to fresh signals that his body wasn't quite ready to accommodate. Bella didn't need to tell him that she had never been like this with anyone else, just as he knew that he found more with her than anyone else.

His hands moved to touch her again, his fingers playing over her breasts, teasing her nipples until they were rigid and elongated. He rolled her onto her back, taking his opportunity to worship her body again.

She arched her back as he moved to where her ache was greatest and covered her with his mouth. She cupped his head with her hands and surrendered to the excruciating pleasures he was eliciting in her with his tongue. His lips swept over her, and then his teeth lightly grazed her sensitized flesh, his movements starting tender and becoming urgent to the point it became brutal. She couldn't contain herself any longer. Explosions burst behind her eyes, and the ache in her was sated as Edward brought her to a climax that robbed her of all feeling save the waves of pleasure that bombarded her.

Watching her writhe in ecstasy, Edward smiled as he rode out her orgasm before releasing her. He then gathered her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Sighing, he leaned back and brushed the hair from her flushed face.

Speechless, Bella looked at his beautiful face, which was totally relaxed. There was no tension around his eyes or his mouth, and his shoulders were relaxed and slack. His eyes held so much love in them it almost brought tears to her eyes.

"I love you, Bella," he whispered before drifting off to sleep.

She had no words to describe the heights of pleasure he'd brought her to, nor did she have words to describe the depth of her feelings for him.

As she watched him sleep, she knew that for all intents and purposes, she had moved into a huge gray area that was considered totally inappropriate by many in her church including her father, and she had done so with her eyes wide open.

_And oh, God, forgive me, but for the life of me, I can't muster the courage to regret it_. _I love him too much to care right now._

If there were consequences for her actions, she would gladly pay them, with interest. Edward had been suffering, and she knew it. He hadn't said so, but she had come to know him so well, she could tell. It manifested in his eyes, the tightness around his mouth, and the stress in his shoulders that made his whole countenance change.

She had been struggling, too, but nowhere near what he was going through. Having never experienced the act of consummation as he had, she had no frame of reference. She knew he would have borne it as long as he needed to for her. But she had an acute and innate sense of knowing when the man she loved was in pain, and she would do anything within her power to alleviate it.

She smiled and touched his lips with her fingers.

"I love you, Edward." She kissed his sleeping face before snuggling into his side and closing her eyes.

~888~

As much as he needed the rest, his subconscious littered his dreams with the events of the wedding and his worries about the stalker. He awoke with a start to find Bella asleep next to him, her arm draped across his chest. A glance at the clock told him he'd been asleep for a few hours.

He gently moved Bella's arm and slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb her. He rubbed his hands over his face before grabbing a clean pair of boxers from his dresser and putting them on.

He wandered into the living room and sat down at the piano to play and think about the people who were taking whatever vendetta they had against him out on the people he loved.

James Hall was probably not the aggressive stalker. The guy he'd seen was stockier, but he had not gotten a good look at his face. It had been obscured by grease paint camouflage, but he was definitely Caucasian. That fact may or may not rule out Laurent Beauvoir. Truth be told, either Hall or Beauvoir could have been the driver of the vehicle because he didn't get a visual of the driver at all. As fatigue overtook him, he closed the piano and headed back to bed. He had not come to any satisfactory conclusions.

He found Bella much in the same position he'd left her. She was sleeping the sound sleep of sexual exhaustion brought about by multiple orgasms: face down, her arms sprawled out and her hair wild on the pillow. He smoothed her hair and drew a finger down her back to just where her derriere disappeared under the sheet, but she did not stir. He smiled as he watched her sleep.

He'd been truly surprised that she had allowed him to take her far beyond what she had experienced before and was particularly overwhelmed by what she had willingly done to satisfy him. Rev. Swan would probably pop an aneurism if he knew, but Bella was a grown woman who made her own decisions, and she had been eager to take the next step in their relationship. How much farther could they go that would still allow her to keep that ring on her finger? Not very far, he decided, because he was determined that he would not be the cause of her breaking her vow, and he would make sure that didn't happen, even if he had to take cold showers for another year.

Edward had never felt the vulnerability he felt with Bella for anyone, not since he was ten years old. If something happened to her, it would hurt him more deeply than anything. And he could hurt her if he didn't complete all the stages of his therapy with Dr. Levy. All that was left was the confrontation with his father, but the ongoing stalker case was hindering his ability to travel and take care of that final hurdle. This was something he would have to maneuver very carefully.

But the burning question of the moment was who was after him, and why? That question was still nagging at him when he slipped in bed beside Bella and curved himself around her body as she sighed contentedly in her sleep. And again, it followed him hauntingly into his dreams.

**E/N:** **Didn't write this conversation in the story, but please be assured that reformed man-whore Edward Cullen did have a physical and take all his requisite tests. He is clean as a whistle. Bella is also, because she's never been sexually active. She found the test results in a stack of mail he kind of left lying around the condo and they totally had the conversation, probably two and a half chapters ago. :)**

**Readers, for some of you, I know Bella has crossed a line here, but please be assured that I am not advocating that Christian girls should do any of this, although it is a fact that some do in RL. This Bella has always been meant to be a faith-based version of Deanie in Splendor in the Grass. While sexual repression for Deanie made her descend into madness, Bella will descend into the bitterness of heartbreak and regret. From the Prologue, I have warned that this story would go there. Bella is completely out of her element, but so in love she's got blinders on and doing things she never had any intention of doing. There is angst ahead, but you will not be buried in it, promise. **

This Scripture was the subject of Edward's Bible Study with Charlie:

_**2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, **__**3**__** and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" **__**4**__** Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. Then she went back home.**_**—2 Samuel 11:2-4 **


	28. Ch 27 TLC: The Lull Before The Storm

**Once, again, I'd like to thank my betas for their willingness to read my rough drafts and transform them into something that can be consumed by my readers: Charmie77, acireamos, SSHG316 and SavageWoman. I also want to thank Irritable Grizzzly for being my pre-reader of last resort, and always being too shy to offer me her opinion (wink, wink). She is my Rosalie with a twitchy red pen.**

**THE SEA **

(An excerpt)

**by Corinne Bailey Rae**

**The sea, **

**The majestic sea**

**Breaks everything**

**Crushes everything**

**Cleans everything**

**Takes everything**

**From me.**

**"Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm: 'Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you will answer me.'" - Job 40:6**

**Chapter 27 - TLC - The Lull Before The Storm**

Edward was intimately familiar with the routine now—a mountain of paperwork, followed by a visit to the police psychologist—but in his case this was his personal psychologist, Dr. Ira Levy. He considered the doctor almost a friend now, or at the very least, a close confidante who just happened to psychoanalyze him occasionally. Gone were the stiff handshakes and wariness that had been their early relationship. Now their warm greetings included shoulder bumps.

They followed the script as Edward remembered with incidents involving the discharge of a firearm, until Dr. Levy was convinced that this recent occurrence had not left him emotionally scarred, or impaired his professional judgment in any way. Then he moved on to more issues of a more personal nature.

"Everything going well for you and Bella?" he asked.

Edward grinned broadly. "That would be a 'yes.' She's perfect."

Dr. Levy's brows rose. "Do you mean that literally or figuratively?"

"All of the above and then some," Edward offered eagerly.

The doctor barked out a laugh. "Then I'd say you are definitely head over heels in love. Good for you, Edward." Then he got serious. "Does it make you anxious when you think of your future as it relates to Bella?"

"Only to the extent that my general fucked-upedness might ruin it. When we were at Emmett's wedding last weekend, I could see us taking that step together someday if she'll have me. I just don't know what kind of husband I'd be, or if I could even be a good father, given my family history."

"The sins of father don't always have to be visited on the son," Dr. Levy said. "You have demonstrated your ability to move past your former way of life and have embraced a monogamous relationship. Let's just take that a step further. Can you visualize yourself as a faithful husband and loving father?"

Edward wasn't convinced. "I can't fathom being good at either of those jobs with the example I've had."

"If we took away his ultimate betrayal, what kind of father was he? Can you remember anything about his parenting style?"

Edward snorted. "Edward Cullen, Sr. was the quintessential permissive parent who wanted to be a friend rather than a father. He was like an adult version of Peter Pan. I don't think he ever wanted to grow up and take responsibility for himself or anyone else. He was the fun-loving party guy who never wanted to be identified as a parent, really. I was more like a buddy, someone he introduced into his lifestyle, but didn't trust enough to believe the truth when he heard it."

"And you'd already felt abandoned by one parent, and while your father seemed more promising in the beginning, there was no loyalty there in the end," Dr. Levy supplied. "Last time we talked, we discussed addressing ways to move into more specific areas of therapy to approach the confrontation with your father. Is this something you want to pursue now, or do you want to wait until this business with the stalker is resolved?"

"I'd like to move forward. My mother shared with me this weekend that my father's health isn't good. So, I guess there's more of a sense of urgency now."

Dr. Levy looked at his calendar. "We'll begin with our next appointment. But let me warn you, Edward, these sessions will be a lot more intense than the ones involving your mother."

"It's nothing a devil dog can't handle," Edward teased.

Dr. Levy chuckled. "You military types astound me with your confidence. But this, too, is progress. When we began several months ago, you would not have been able to joke about anything relating to your father."

"What can I say? He was never a real father to me. The military became my surrogate father when I desperately needed one, and I'm nothing if not my father's son."

"Well said, Edward." Dr Levy stood, and Edward followed suit. "With that, I think I'll see you Wednesday morning." They shook hands again.

"I'll be here," Edward assured him.

~888~

Edward left Dr. Levy's office with thirty minutes to spare before he and Bella were scheduled to be at the Center. He pulled his cruiser up to the elevator in the garage and leaned over to open the door for her as she emerged with a smile only for him. He'd stayed at her place the night before, so he was excited to see her, too.

She leaned over to kiss him good morning, and he happily puckered up to oblige her.

"Hey." She smiled against his lips.

"Hey," he said with an answering smile and then kissed her soundly.

"I'm glad you're early." She buckled in. "We're a man short today."

"Yeah?" he said as a he pulled smoothly away from the curb and headed out of the garage.

"Mmm hmm. Jan, Demetri's fiancée, called to say he had to go out of town, spur of the moment. His mother is gravely ill."

"That bites," Edward said. "I could pinch-hit for you, if you need me." He smiled a wolfish smile. "I kinda like watching the director do her thing."

Bella smirked. "Well, I have it on good authority that she wants you—and I hear she's hot."

"It's a definite that he wants her, too—and I hear he's a man that would risk his neck for his brother, man..." he said, quoting the "Theme from Shaft." They'd watched portions of the movie starring Samuel L. Jackson the night before, between other sexier activities.

She picked up the joke singing the chorus without missing a beat. "Shaft."

"He's a complicated man, but no one understands him but his woman." He half-sang this time in a deeper voice, mimicking Isaac Hayes.

Bella giggled and sang her verse in a breathy back up vocalist's voice. "John Shaft."

"Right on. You see this cat Shaft is a bad mother—"

"Shut your mouth." They said these last words together, laughing at their silliness.

They rode in silence for a few minutes, the lilting cadence of the dispatcher's voice their only background music. "Um, babe promise me you won't become a clichéd cop like that," Bella pleaded.

"No worries on that score. But I'll have to introduce you to this guy on the force who really thinks he's Shaft," he promised, and they cracked up again.

"Thanks. I can't wait."

~888~

Bella adjusted easily to accommodate the children with the manpower she had. Her dad came to help out when Edward was busy with the investigation or Captain Black had him working on other assignments.

Since the summer was an abbreviated schedule for the Center, they were not able to demand Edward's time all day as they had during the school year. Also, the two hours they were at the Center were not enough to keep Bella sufficiently occupied. She was bored to tears after 1:00 pm, especially since she wasn't able to move around alone freely.

Edward was transporting her to and from everywhere she needed to go, but when he was working and she wasn't, she was stuck at the condo. She was convinced that he had purposely made the decision to leave her car parked in front of the leasing office at her apartment complex because he didn't want her to attempt go out alone. On Wednesday afternoon she was particularly stir crazy and just wanted to go to the bookstore. She called her dad, hoping he would give her a ride to her car.

"Bonjour, mon père," she teased when he answered the phone.

Charlie greeted her happily in his broken French. "And bonjour to you ma petite. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

"Can't a girl just call her dear old dad, sometimes?" She paced with the phone to her ear in front of the piano.

"Yes, and I'm glad to hear from you, sweetheart."

"Good." She paused. "Now, I need a favor."

Charlie laughed. "Does it involve money?"

"Funny, Dad. I haven't asked you for money since I finished at Spelman."

"Oh yeah, right. Then how can I help you?"

"I need a ride to go pick up my car."

"I thought your boyfriend was playing chauffeur for you these days. Anyway, you probably shouldn't be out riding around alone, considering there's a lunatic out there who's made an attempt on your life."

"So you're in collusion with Edward to keep me here in this granite tower like a prisoner, forever? Thanks a lot, Dad."

"Sweetheart, if you'll give me an hour, I'll come get you and take you wherever you want to go." This arrangement would just have to do.

"Okay. Thanks, Dad. I'll be ready."

Frustrated at having to wait an hour to get out of her prison, she called Angela. Maybe she would be willing to play hooky from work. All her other friends were either working, on vacation, or otherwise disposed. And Alice, Mrs. "Stay-at-home-wife" had an appointment that afternoon that she'd been all cryptic about at the Center earlier.

"Bellaboo!" Angela squealed.

"Okay, Ange, I'm sure your office mates hate you right about now." Bella plopped on the sofa lying down with her feet propped on the sofa back and her hair hanging almost to the floor.

Angela expelled an exasperated breath. "Girl, please. As much noise as they make. So what's up?"

"I'm bored," Bella said, trying not to sound like a whiney baby. "I'm trapped in this condo with no transportation, and it's getting old. Don't you want to kidnap me for a late lunch or something?"

"As great as that sounds, I've already had lunch, and today is not a good day for me to skip out. Deadlines abound. I'll probably be here late tonight."

"How about lunch tomorrow or Friday? We could go after one o'clock when the Center closes for the day." She didn't want to seem overeager, but she really needed to get out more often, for sanity's sake.

"Oh, Bella, as much as I want to, I can't. Ben is freaking out about the stalker thing, and he badgered me into making a promise that you and I wouldn't go off anywhere alone together unless I was at that impregnable fortress of a condo with you, preferably with him or Edward there."

"Look at Ben being all protective of his fiancée." Bella smiled. "I should be offended, but Edward probably wrote the manual on overprotective boyfriends."

"It's because they care about us, so cut E some slack, okay?"

"Will do."

"So, do you think you'll be out of lockdown soon? I need you to help me with wedding plans, and I'm still kinda pissed that Rosalie asked you to be her Maid of Honor before I did."

"Ange, she got married before you."

"Oh yeah, right," Angela said absentmindedly. Then she sounded a little more peeved. "I guess she just kinda pisses me off anyway. She really hogged your time for a while, Bella, and you were my sister first."

"But that's over now, and there's plenty of me to go around."

"Good. Well, I'll come by tomorrow after work, okay? And I'll bring my bride books."

"Okay. Hey, might as well tell you now so you can get used to the idea. Friday night we're having a get-together here for Emmett and Rosalie. They'll be back from their honeymoon tomorrow, so Alice talked Edward into having a party to welcome them back."

"They spent a week and a half in Aruba?" Angela said. "Yeah, well then Ben and I will be spending two and a half weeks at wherever we decide to go on our honeymoon."

Bella was surprised at Angela's competitiveness with Rosalie, who was more than likely so oblivious to her jealousy it wasn't funny.

"What's with the green-eyed monster, A? Rosalie is really great. Not just the gorgeous diva that most people see. She's self-assured, smart, accomplished, loyal, and really cares about helping people. She has a hard time trusting, but once she does, you won't find a better friend."

"She's just so intimidating sometimes, but if you like her that much, she must be all right," Angela reluctantly admitted. "So, do you need us to bring anything to the party?"

"Just yourselves and your drink of choice. Alice and I have the food covered."

~888~

When her dad arrived, Bella found she was really glad that she'd struck out with Angela. It was his first visit to the new place, so she invited him in to see it. This was her opportunity to really try to make him comfortable with her relationship with Edward.

They hadn't talked about it since the disastrous conversation on Memorial Day weekend. It was now the end of July, and Edward had been faithfully attending her father's Bible study for weeks. She was concerned that Edward was still not comfortable with her father due to his constantly morose demeanor when Edward was around. Her mother had stifled a lot of her father's attitude about Edward, but Bella wanted to nip it in the bud once and for all.

"This place really is secure, Bells," Charlie commented. "Nobody gets past the doorman down there, and I had to park a block over in a metered space and walk. Forget getting into that underground garage."

"Oh, Dad, I'm sorry. I should have called down and told them let you in the garage. I haven't driven over here in my own car, so I forgot about the protocol."

"Wow," Charlie said, looking around. "Some place. I never had a place like this on a cop's salary."

Bella closed the door and ushered him in. She didn't want her father to think that Edward was a cop on the take or a superficial _nouveau riche_ bachelor living above his means. "Edward is a trust fund baby, Dad. His mother can trace her lineage almost back to the Mayflower, and his great-great-grandparents owned a distillery in the Pacific Northwest eons ago."

Charlie whistled. "And I thought Carlisle and Esme were loaded."

"Come on, let me show you around the place," she said. She made short work of showing her dad where she was living, thankful that she'd tidied up and none of Edward's previously-worn clothing was lying around. He admired Edward's study almost as much as his own. Then she showed him the view from the large balcony off the living room that faced Monroe Street. When they ended in the master bedroom, she showed him the view from the smaller balcony that boasted a view of North Tallahassee, which faced Tennessee Street. They went back into the living room, but Bella continued into the kitchen.

"Would you like something to drink, Dad?" She opened the fridge. "We have lemonade, iced tea, Snapple, Coke."

"We?" Charlie inquired as he approached the large island in the center of the kitchen. He sat on a barstool and folded his arms. "Bells, this isn't a live-in arrangement you've got here, is it?"

Bella took a Snapple for herself and twisted the cap. She was really offended at her dad's insinuation. "Dad, Edward is here with me a lot, because this is ultimately his place, but we don't live together. He sleeps over at my place, and I sleep here." She just didn't tell him that they spent most of their Friday and Saturday nights together because she knew he wouldn't approve. But it was her life, and she would not allow him to tell her how to live it. She gestured to the refrigerator door again. "Would you like a drink?"

He held her gaze just as he had when she'd been a little girl and he caught her doing something naughty, but Bella looked levelly into his eyes, not willing to concede any weakness. "I'll take a lemonade," he said finally.

Bella handed him a bottle of lemonade and sat on a stool across from him. "You know, Dad, you really don't have to be the chastity police." She thrust her hand out. "This ring is still on my finger because I want it to be, and Edward does, too. In fact, he's better than I am at resisting temptation if you really want to know the truth."

"Now why did you want to go and tell me something like that?" Charlie asked, his face screwed up liked he'd tasted something bitter.

"Because you don't act like you want to believe me when I tell you that Edward really is an honorable man. He's gentle, kind, compassionate, fiercely protective, loyal, faithful...and he loves me. I think he's made remarkable progress, being reintroduced to a faith he abandoned years ago. He attends church with me every Sunday, and he hasn't missed one of your Bible studies since you harangued him into coming. What more does he have to do to prove that he's worthy of your daughter?"

Charlie smiled and took her hands. "Nothing," he said simply. "Because I can see in your face and hear from your heart that he has already proven himself to you. The greatest gift he can give me as your father is to love you like I love your mother, and I see that every time I see you two together."

Bella couldn't help it—her eyes swam with tears, but they were happy ones. Charlie moved around the island and gathered his daughter into his arms.

~888~

Edward knew immediately that something was wrong when he entered the condo. It was eerily silent.

"Bella!"

He moved first into the study to see if she was on the computer, knowing that she sometimes used headphones while surfing the web. But she wasn't there. Then he practically ran down the hall to the bedrooms. She wasn't in any of them. He then started working his home like a crime scene. Spotting her cell phone on the piano, his heart leapt into his throat. Bella would never leave it behind intentionally. No wonder she hadn't answered when he'd called her steadily the last hour and a half he'd been at work.

Hurriedly, he went into the kitchen. There he found a Snapple that was half empty, and a lemonade bottle that had been totally consumed. Someone had been here with her, obviously someone she knew. He pulled out his cell phone and began calling her friends. Angela first.

"Hi, Angela, It's Edward. Is Bella with you?"

"No. I talked to her around one thirty. She wanted to go out, but I couldn't get away from the office," Angela answered truthfully. Then she shot rapid-fire questions at him. "What's wrong? Is she not answering her cell?"

"She left her phone here," he said, raking one hand frantically through his hair as he paced the floor. "Let me call around some more. She might be with Alice."

"I'll call the Swans," Angela offered. "And Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"We'll find her. Don't panic."

He clicked off with shaky fingers and hit Alice on speed dial. While it was ringing he heard an alert that another call was coming through, and he quickly answered it.

"Hello...?"

"Hey, baby," Bella said. "I'm—"

"Where are you?" he interrupted harsher than he'd intended.

There was a pregnant pause. "I'm at Borders, with my dad. I'm sorry, I left my cellphone at home and lost track of the time."

His relief was so palpable it left him weak in the knees, and he stumbled toward the sofa to sit. "I thought—"

Her tone clued him in that she immediately realized what he had thought. "I should have called you to let you know where I was going to be, but Dad and I had a really great talk at the house and I left kind of in a fog. We're leaving now. See you in twenty minutes."

Edward used those twenty minutes to shower, change, and get a grip on his emotions. Both Angela and Alice called, and he let them know she was fine. He was relieved when Bella came up alone. Edward wasn't fond of the idea of seeing Rev. Swan after this incident had practically shortened his life by a year.

When he heard her key in the lock, he rushed to the door and swung it open, and then she was in his arms where she belonged. He kicked the door shut behind them and held her for the longest time, and she held him back, realizing that she had inadvertently given him a scare.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again. "I really should have called you earlier from Dad's cell. I got caught up in the books and talking to my dad—"

Edward didn't speak; he just silenced her with a kiss. He was too upset to leave her again so soon after this most recent false alarm, and their kisses heated them to a point where neither of them wanted him to go. That Wednesday night, Edward missed the reverend's Bible study for the first time.

~888~

Emmett and Rosalie returned from their honeymoon regaling them all with highlights of their trip. All the gang was gathered at the condo together with a revolving roster of family and other friends. Of course, this was because Alice had taken over and also made it into a housewarming for Edward.

"Some of the natives were talking about that Joran van der Sloot who was captured recently in Peru," Rosalie said, a hard edge to her voice. "Wish I'd been on the case when they originally questioned him about Natalee Holloway. He wouldn't have gotten free to hurt anyone else."

"Yeah, my beautiful wife scared some of the locals with all her talk about beating him to a bloody pulp and disabling his family jewels," Emmett chimed in. Rosalie gave them all a sheepish look and continued to move hors d'oeuvres from the pan to the tray.

"We were asked not to frequent this one bar that was very popular with the honeymooners."

"Why?" Bella asked.

"Maybe you should ask what my wife did when she got to the mike during Karaoke?"

"What?" Alice piped up, a bemused smile on her face.

"She gave them her spiel about how she would have handled van der Sloot, and this was after she'd had about half a dozen Tequila shots."

They all laughed and ribbed Rosalie, and she took it well. Even though Emmett knew the score and was doing the bulk of the teasing, Bella wanted to find out if she was really okay with it.

"For realz?" Angela was amazed. "You go, Rosalie. That dude is the scum of the freaking earth."

They moved on to other subjects and began talking about the upcoming football season and what a great location Edward had for when the "Downtown Getdowns" began on Friday nights before home games.

Bella sidled up to Rose, helping her. "That was bad timing, van der Sloot coming up again right before your honeymoon. I hope it didn't make things too difficult for you."

Rosalie grinned. "On the contrary, I was very happy they finally got his ass. Now Natalee and Stephanie can hopefully rest in peace, and their parents will get some closure."

They finished the tray, and Rosalie took it into the dining area while Bella recycled the pans for imminent reuse. Edward disengaged himself from a conversation with a group of his colleagues from the force to grab Bella and introduce her. He laced his fingers through hers and brought her over to the guys.

He gestured to Seth. "You already know this scumbag, so I won't bother."

"Hi, Bella," Seth said with a cheeky grin. "Let's elope tonight. This slug isn't good enough for you."

"Gee, Seth, I can't. He's having my baby." Edward's face turned beet red, and Bella was enjoying that he was blushing for once instead of her.

The guys really gave Edward grief then, some of them shouting "Ooooh!"

"Whoa, Cullen. She's really domesticated you," a short blond guy said.

"Yeah, Connors, you know you're Ava's bitch, so don't even try to play me like that." Edward pulled Bella into his side and made introductions, as they each nodded or said hello. "Bella, this is Rick Connors, Alvin Shoals, and Terry Brock."

"Nice to meet you guys," Bella said, then turned to Alvin. "You're the Shaft cop, aren't you?"

Alvin had the perfect Isaac Hayes base voice. "You're damn right."

Bella chuckled. "And I thought Edward was making you up."

"I'm one of a kind," Alvin said, and then he looked at Edward. "She's a keeper man. Any woman who recognizes the 'cat that won't cop out' is okay in my book. Hey, if Cullen falls down on the job, I'm available."

"You just keep singing that Theme from Shaft, Shoals. There will be no falling down on the job," Edward declared. "Besides, I happen to know that Brenda will hobble you like Kathy Bates did James Caan in 'Misery' if you even look at another woman."

They continued to rib one another as Bella excused herself and went back into the kitchen to keep things flowing. She was thankful to have Alice, Angela, Rosalie and even Emmett willing to help with the food as the party had burgeoned to epic proportions. Alice's ruse had worked. She knew that Edward would never agree to a housewarming party, but if she billed it as a welcome home party for Emmett and Rosalie, he'd be onboard.

Given all that was going on, Bella hadn't been sure at all that he would agree to have anyone other than their close friends as guests in his home. The doorman and security staff were professional and handled their comings and goings very smoothly—Edward had made sure of that.

Emmett and the four women finished replenishing the party foods on the various trays and took turns making sure it stayed that way until the very last guest left. Jasper and Ben tended bar while Edward was busy mingling with the guests and touring people around the place. There was a growing pile of gifts and envelopes on the coffee table, which Edward was literally embarrassed he was receiving.

He pulled Bella aside after his last house tour almost in a panic. "Bella, what am I supposed to do with all this stuff? I probably already have at least one of everything anyone could possibly have given me."

Bella smiled. "I'll tell you what, we'll go through everything, use the gift cards and cash to purchase extra table linens, bed linens and bath towels, determine what you want to keep, exchange what we can, and donate the rest to charity. How does that sound?"

"Have I told you how awesome you are tonight?"

"Only about a half a dozen times, but just keep lavishing on the praise, officer. You might earn another massage." She winked and left him to usher the last of his guests out the door while she and their best friends began to clean up.

Finally, only the four couples were left, and they made themselves comfortable in the living room while Edward opened a couple of bottles of champagne. Bella helped him serve each guest a glass.

When Jasper took his glass and stood, they all groaned, remembering the last time he'd proposed a toast when they were together.

Alice swatted him playfully on the butt, and then glanced reproachfully at their friends. "Go ahead, baby, don't let these meanies keep you from your toast."

Jasper smiled lovingly at his wife and then cleared his throat exaggeratedly. "First, this is to Emmett and Rosalie. May your life as husband and wife be as loving, happy, and exciting as ours has been. To Ben and Angela. We'll see you two taking this step early next year, and may your journey to matrimony be equally as exciting as your courtship. To Edward and Bella. No one is as happy as my wife and I that her dear cousin and best friend finally got together. Our prayers are that your relationship culminates in much the same way as the rest of ours. And finally, to my beautiful wife..." Jasper's voice began to quiver and his eyes grew moist. "Who just made me the second happiest I've ever been; the first was when she agreed to be my wife, and the second... when she told me I was going to be a father."

All the couples touched glasses and quickly drank a sip of champagne, then promptly bombarded Alice and Jasper with hugs and well wishes.

Bella looked at Edward who still seemed to be pretty stunned by the news, but he was smiling and kind of shaking his head in disbelief. Alice was teasing him.

"You're going to be an uncle, Edward. None of this second cousin, business."

"Is that right?" he asked. "So, we can just change the rules, just like that?"

"Absolutely. Bella and Angela are sisters from another mister," she explained. "And besides, you've always been kind of like my big brother."

Bella saw a brief look of vulnerability in him, but he grabbed Alice and gave her another hug. His handsome face split into the most beautiful smile.

"Aww," Angela said. "That's so sweet."

Edward then gave Jasper a hug and made his way back to Bella's side. She smiled up at him, laced her fingers with his, and squeezed his hand. He looked down with an answering smile.

"How far along are you, Alice?" Rosalie asked, taking another sip of champagne.

"Eight weeks," Alice answered as Jasper guided her back to her seat. He was already taking on the manner of a concerned expectant father.

"So, an end of February, early March due date?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, March fifth," Alice confirmed. Then she smiled at Angela. "I'm asking the little one to stay in the oven until after your wedding, Ange."

"That's mighty kind of you, Al," she grinned and gestured between her and Ben. "But this ship is sailing whether you're onboard or not. Do you know how long I've waited to snag this man?"

"If you're wise, you'll treat that like it's a rhetorical question," Bella said quickly.

"I'm not that bad, am I?" Angela looked horrified.

Ben grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, babe, you kind of are."

Angela gasped.

"Whoa, you might want to learn how to assume the position, Ben," Emmett said wisely, "or you might find yourself on the unfortunate non-receiving end of your fiancée's affections. I'm just saying."

"I'll bring you up to speed on that, Ben," Jasper offered in a kind professorial manner. "Let's do lunch next week."

"Um, school him quickly before his primary residence becomes the doghouse." Angela pretended rather unconvincingly to be put out, and Ben got on his knees pretending to grovel.

Bella and Edward enjoyed the easy banter with their friends until the two bottles of champagne and a quarter of a bottle of ginger ale were gone and everyone left.

~888~

Three orgasms and a shared shower later, Edward and Bella retired for the night, or rather the morning. It was Saturday and they could sleep in as long as they wanted. Bella was excited about this and told him so.

"Wake me up before nine and the grumpy girl may rear her ugly head," she warned.

He just laughed and followed her onto the bed.

As they slipped between the cool sheets and snuggled together, Bella sighed contentedly against his chest.

"Thank you for everything," Edward whispered into her hair.

"You're welcome for everything," she quipped back, stifling a yawn. "I'd say the evening was a rousing success."

"And Alice and Jasper's news. Wow."

"They looked so happy." Bella looked up, and he opened his eyes. "She kinda took you by surprise with that uncle thing, didn't she?"

"Yes and no," he said sincerely. "Being the only children of brothers made us close out of necessity when we were younger. I was a little shocked at it happening now after talking about family with Dr. Levy all week. He asked if I had any younger cousins." He was embarrassed remembering why the subject of children had come up. "It just seemed so coincidental."

"I can see that. You have a great family foundation, Edward. That's something to be thankful for."

"I am. Paul helped me see that. While I was being shuffled between my mom and dad, the only constant I ever had in my family was Alice, Uncle Carlisle, and Aunt Esme. But I even took that away from them for a while."

Bella cupped his face with her hand. "But now you're all together again, and your family is growing—Uncle Edward." She kissed his lips softly.

He smoothed her hair back with his hand. "Do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

"Don't call me Uncle Edward." He nibbled her bottom lip playfully.

"Oh, come on now. I'm just standing in for little baby Whitlock. Don't you want to get used to the idea?" she teased.

He ran his hands down her sides as if in a caress and then began tickling her.

"Oh! Edw—Oh, stop, please..." She was laughing so hard, she lost the ability to speak. But then she began to struggle and fight, and they got tangled in the sheet, until the trilling of his cell phone brought them out of it.

"Who the hell...?" he muttered, one eyebrow raised in question.

"Maybe it's the precinct," she said breathlessly.

Holding her with one hand, he reached with his other to his phone on the bedside table.

"Cullen!" he barked. He wanted whoever was calling him at ass-crack o'clock in the morning to know how annoyed he was.

"I understand you've been looking for me," James Hall said calmly. "I hope you know how many rules I'm breaking by calling you tonight. My dad said you've been by the church several times..."

Edward slipped out of bed, looking nervously at Bella, who sat up and turned on a lamp.

"Yeah, I needed to ask you a few questions, the first being where the hell have you been?" Edward began to pace.

"I'm in a Christian residential rehab facility in the Atlanta suburbs. But don't mention it to Bella—"

"Too late," Edward cut him off. "You know her parents and yours have history, so..."

Bella's head snapped up. "Is that James?" she asked incredulously. Edward nodded.

He heard a laborious sigh on the other end of the line. "So, you've been there how long?" Edward inquired. "I need to verify your whereabouts since mid-June."

"Bella's there?" James' voice cracked.

"Stay focused, Hall. Can anyone there verify your whereabouts since mid-June?" Edward's voice grew hard.

How dare he inquire whether his girlfriend was with him? It was none of his business. Bella got out of bed and came around to where he was pacing. When she touched him, he stopped and wrapped one arm around her as she wound her arms around his waist. She was silently calming him.

"Yeah, my sponsor—the administration here can verify where I am. What's going on, Cullen?"

"Someone's been stalking Bella since the end-of-year festival at the Center. A car matching a description of yours and bearing the first two letters of your license plate has been seen several times in the vicinity of the incidents. As a matter of fact, you were seen in the parking lot of her apartment complex the week before you allegedly left town. Care to explain why?"

"I was going to stop by and say goodbye, let her know that I was going to Atlanta to admit myself back into the residential program, but then I thought better of it. She called me as I was headed over there, so I just sat in the parking lot and talked to her."

Edward knew he was telling the truth, and for reasons unfathomable to him, he felt sorry for the bastard. "If you'll have your sponsor call me and corroborate your whereabouts for the time period in question, we can rule out your involvement."

"What the hell? You thought _I_ might have been stalking Bella?"

"It's gotten more serious than that now. Whoever is doing this has tried to run her off the road, vandalized my mother's car, and took a shot at me."

"Cullen, it might have hurt me a little more deeply than I realized when Bella chose you over me, but I would _never_ do anything to hurt her. I seem to do a better job of hurting myself, or I wouldn't be back here in this facility."

Edward couldn't argue with him on that one. He wasn't sure what came over him, but he felt compelled to ask. "So, is it helping?"

"Yeah, it's been a real blessing being back here. I hadn't gone back to using my drug of choice, but the alcohol had become quite a problem. I'm here for another couple of weeks until they spring me." He paused. "So you and the TPD will make sure Bella doesn't get hurt, right?"

"That is and will always be my primary focus," Edward said with conviction.

"Tell Bella I'm doing well, and I still haven't forgotten I owe her a guest spot in my choir when I get back."

"I will," Edward promised. "James, you hang in there, all right?"

"That's exactly what I plan to do." He hung up, and Edward clicked his phone shut.

"So, he's where his folks said he was?" Bella asked, leading him back to the bed.

"Yes."

They were settled for sleep before he spoke again. "James was in love with you, you know."

"I know." She looked up into his eyes, her pain evident. "I didn't mean to hurt him."

"The music minister might have been a safer choice for you, Bella," Edward said solemnly, guilt eroding the elation they'd experienced less than an hour ago. "You've only been evading stalkers and dodging cars since you've been with me."

"James would have been a safe choice, but he could never be my heart's choice. I chose you because your soul speaks to mine in ways that his never could."

He could see the love in her eyes and knew without a doubt what they had was genuine, but it chilled him to the bone to think that someone was plotting to do her harm, just because she was involved with him. He wouldn't be any better than James Hall at getting over the heartbreak if anything happened to her. He kissed her deeply, the pain of this realization driving its urgency.

"I love you so much, Bella, but I don't want my selfishness to get you hurt—or worse."

She held his face between her hands. "Remember, I was a cop's daughter before I was a preacher's daughter. A little danger doesn't spook me, so you'd just better deal."

She kissed him this time, and he felt that kiss on his lips until he passed out in a fitful sleep.

~888~

**E/N: This year, I am writing in support of The Fandom Gives Back** **(FGB), which will run in conjunction with the release of "Eclipse." I don't have any illusions of grandeur and there is no organized Team demanding my work, but if you believe in the cause we are supporting, please bid on this story, or any of my other offerings. There is a 5000 word minimum outtake up for grabs and a 1000 word minimum one shot, or that may be the other way around. Anyhoo, please support the cause in whatever denominations you can and we'll be grateful for your participation. Please stay tuned on Twitter or through the FGB website on when this all begins. I believe it debuts on the 29th, which is the midnight release for Eclipse.**


	29. Ch 28 TLC: Broken

**A/N: ****I'd like to thank my betas for helping me finalize the outline of these last several chapters, and polishing this chapter up like they do all the time: Charmie77, acireamos, SSHG316 and SavageWoman. I also want to thank Irritable Grizzzly who loves me and this story enough to pre-read it to make sure I don't commit some ghastly fandom faux pas before I post it for your eyes to see. **

**BROKEN**

**By Lifehouse**

**The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight**

**Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time**

**And I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts**

**I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out**

**The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head**

**I tried my best to be guarded; I'm an open book instead**

**And I still see your reflection inside of my eyes**

**That are looking for purpose, they're still looking for life**

**I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing**

**With a broken heart that's still beating**

**In the pain there's the healing**

**In your name I find meaning**

**So I'm holdin' on, I'm still holdin'**

**I'm holdin' on, I'm still holdin'**

**I'm holdin' on I'm still holdin'**

**I'm barely holdin' on to you**

_**"Painful as it may be, a significant emotional event can be the catalyst for choosing a direction that serves us—and those around us—more effectively. Look for the Learning."**_

— **Louisa May Alcott**

_**"Surely no one lays a hand on a **__**broken**__** man when he cries for help in his distress.**_**"**

— **Job 30:24**

**Chapter 28 - TLC - Broken  
**

The rest of the summer moved along quickly, and before Bella could shift gears, the Center was operating at full schedule again and she was registering online for Grad school at FSU. All that was left was a trip to campus to pay her tuition for the semester and she would be all set. She had been able to secure a couple of online classes, but there was one that she would have to actually travel to campus to attend on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Even though it was on the same nights as Edward's group meetings, he promised to make time to take her and pick her up, because he wouldn't hear of her going alone, and especially leaving campus at night without an escort.

Thus, they found themselves on a warm August morning headed to the University Center Building A to make payment so she could become an official FSU graduate student. Riding around in a police cruiser half the time no longer felt strange. She'd simply accepted it as normal. They were approaching the imposing structure that was Doak Campbell Stadium, and she became excited that she was finally going to begin work on her master's degree.

However, it had not escaped her mind, or Edward's, that someone was still out there, most likely healing from the gunshot wound sustained in July and lying in wait to wreak more havoc in their lives. Edward had been adamant that they not let their guard down for an instant, because it was usually in those moments that the culprit chose to strike. Bella was always mindful of this as they went about their daily lives.

As Edward maneuvered them into the parking lot, she admired the statue of Chief Osceola and remembered how excited Rosalie and Emmett had been when they found out she was becoming a Seminole.

"We should go ahead and get tickets for the first home game while we're here," Bella suggested. "Em and Rose want us all to tailgate with them when the season begins."

"Yeah, let's do that, and maybe tonight we can get stocked for the first Downtown Getdown." Edward pulled into a parking spot and smiled. "So, ready to pay up and begin your matriculation at Florida State?"

"I am. I think it's going to turn out to be a great choice."

"Well, let's do this then."

She waited for Edward to open the door for her. It was force of habit now, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Edward was certainly a man of today's world when it came to sex. However, when it came to women in his care, he was quite old-fashioned, while Bella was more independent. Existing as they did in weekend semi-cohabitation, and working together every day, they were finding out all kinds of things about each other that would have taken a couple in a regular dating relationship years to find out. While Edward had a rather formal relationship with his mother, Bella was very affectionate with her parents. Thankfully, they both were extremely neat, so they had practically no issues regarding organization. But while she was very frugal, he had no problem plunking down lots of money for big-ticket items he considered worth the price, while she haggled and would often make substitutions.

They held hands as they walked quickly toward the line forming in the registrar's office. A few female coeds blatantly checked out Edward. He was either oblivious or honoring her by not paying them any attention. He was probably used to the stares he got as a result of the uniform, but Bella was confident that, in his case, it was due to how good he looked, period. She inched closer to him, winding her arm around his waist, and he followed suit, thus sending the subtle message, "He's mine, girls—back off!"

The registration process went exceptionally fast, compared with Spelman. They were in and out within thirty minutes, but it probably would have been twenty-five if she hadn't found it necessary to argue with Edward about the payment of her tuition. He whipped out his credit card without hesitation when the clerk had given them the figure. Of course, she nipped that idea in the bud, very tactfully. As a compromise, she did allow him to pay for their football tickets.

With an hour and a half to spare before they were due at the Center, they stopped and paid a visit to Bella's Nana. Renee had informed Bella that she was in big trouble with her grandmother because she'd seen her only a couple of times since the Memorial Day barbeque, and that just wouldn't do for Nana Higginbotham. Nana lived in a quiet neighborhood near FAMU and refused to move. She said that it had been her home for more than fifty years and she wasn't budging.

As they pulled up in the cruiser, the neighbors were rightfully curious about a cop visiting Mrs. Higginbotham's home. In fact, Nana herself was surprised when she opened the door until she honed in on Bella. Her spritely grandmother's face lit up exponentially.

"Well, if it isn't my little niblet and her beau!" she exclaimed and threw her arms around her granddaughter.

Bella blushed a deep red that was almost burgundy and cringed when she heard Edward chuckling behind her.

"Oh, Nana, please forgive me for not coming by more often. We've been kind of preoccupied—"

Nana ushered them in quickly and closed the door. "Yes, your mother told me about that stalker trouble. I told Harold we would come by and see you this weekend if I hadn't heard from you before then."

"Harold?" Bella questioned.

Nana actually blushed then, and quickly turned her attention to Edward. "May I get you something, Edward? I baked blueberry muffins this morning, and I have fresh coffee."

"Do I look like a man who would turn down a fresh cup of coffee and a homemade muffin? Yes, please." He smiled graciously and then looked at Bella who was frowning. He raised his eyebrows in question as Nana scurried out of the room.

"Niblet, you want a muffin, too?" she yelled in parting.

"Yes, thanks, Nana!" Bella grabbed Edward's and whispered furiously. "Baby, I think Nana has a man friend."

"She's a widow and alone. She's entitled, right?" Edward asked sheepishly, hoping he was saying the right thing.

"I mean—well, yeah. It's just—it's been so long since my Grandfather died, and I didn't think she would ever—"

"Desire male companionship again?" Edward supplied. "Nana is an attractive woman for her age—Don't you think there are men out there that would love to meet someone like her."

"Yeah, but that's my Nana we're talking about. What if your mother all of a sudden started dating again?"

"Been there, done that, remember? But I think she deserves another chance at romance and happiness," he said sincerely. "Marcus was a jerk, but if my mother found someone who wasn't, I'd be happy for her."

"You say that now, but you just wait," Bella warned.

"Mother hasn't given any indication that she's heading in that direction, but if she does, I'd be supportive, as long as the man was good to her."

Nana came back in the room with a tray bearing three muffins, coffees, cream, and sugar. She set it on the coffee table.

"Sit down," Nana encouraged. "I'll serve you."

Bella waited until they all had their coffee and had settled down.

"Nana?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Is this Harold someone we know?" Bella took a bite of her muffin and a sip of coffee.

Nana set her cup on the table and smiled broadly at her granddaughter. "You've only known Deacon H. G. Wilson since you were a toddler."

"Deacon Wilson!" Bella exclaimed. "Oh, Nana—well, that's really—awesome. How long have you two been—"

"Harold began calling on me shortly after the Memorial Day barbeque at your parents' home." She looked at Edward. "You told me he was interested that day, but I just thought you were flattering an old lady."

Bella's mouth flew open, and she whipped her head around to look at Edward, who just kind of shrugged.

"No, the Deacon definitely had his eye on you, Mrs. Higginbotham," Edward said.

Nana smiled coquettishly. "Just call me Nana, Edward. All Bella's friends do."

They were in the car on the way to the Center when Bella lit into him. "Why didn't you tell me that the Deacon was interested in my Nana?"

"I'm sorry, it just slipped my mind, and I didn't want to spill the beans. Nana really wanted to tell you herself."

"You go to Bible study with Harold every Wednesday and sit with or near him and my Nana almost every Sunday in church, and it slipped your mind?" Then her eyes widened. "You were being their buffer, their go-between so my mother and I wouldn't figure it out, weren't you?"

Edward raked his hand through his hair nervously. "Well, they didn't want to tell anyone in the family until they were sure they were really compatible."

Her face crumpled in equal parts worry and anger, and her voice took on a hard edge. "So this thing is serious?"

"From every indication," he answered quickly. "Bella, please don't be mad at me. Harold's held a torch for Nana for a long time, and I think they're good together."

"I like Harold. He's been a friend of my dad's forever, but that's my Nana we're talking about." Bella scowled.

Apparently, Edward found her discomfort with her Nana dating again extremely humorous, because he laughed loudly. "Bella, these are two people who have lived, loved, were married and raised their own families. What do you really think is going to happen?"

Although she was ticked-off that he found the situation funny, his words were oddly soothing. "You're probably right," she conceded. "But he'd better be good to her."

"You certainly are Charlie Swan's daughter," Edward said with an impish grin. She balled her hand into a fist and punched him playfully on his right shoulder.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, more out of surprise than pain. "That's called assault on a law enforcement officer, you know?"

She couldn't help but gloat. "Not if said officer is the assaulter's boyfriend. Florida Statute, Bella Swan 1.001."

"That is a law in your own mind," he teased. "And this from the daughter of Renee Swan, Esquire?"

"You're really pushing it, Cullen." The ominous warning was playful in tone.

He pulled into the Center parking lot and found a spot. "Shutting up now."

~888~

September ushered in a time of sheer joy that had Edward thinking that he could finally have a happy future. For most of his life, he'd resisted believing that he could have one, but Bella changed all that.

He was sitting in the armchair, ostensibly reading. In actuality, he was watching her sleep as he often did when he spent weekends at the condo. And as weekends go, this one had been perfect. They'd had their friends over for the Downtown Getdown on Friday night after an early dinner at Andrews. Then later enjoyed the festivities of the night, first on the streets, and finally from his balcony.

He had found himself regarding Bella closely all weekend, unsure what those stirrings had been, but finally coming to the conclusion that it was real. He could finally be happy as Dr. Levy and Bella had been trying so tirelessly to convince him. This wasn't a trick that would disappear behind the magician's cloth and leave him empty-handed again, much like the happiness he'd sought in his family life while he lived with his mother and her husband, or his father and his endless stream of girlfriends.

Now, he could see so many possibilities. What if he really stuck around for the long-haul and asked her to marry him? What if she said yes? What if they got married and had beautiful babies together that grew into little children who looked and acted like them? What if he really learned to love himself, thereby really learning how to love what Bella meant to him? These were frightening thoughts to have, but he couldn't stop them. She brought all this out of him, and more.

Deep down he still feared that she would come to her senses and realize what a barren wasteland of humanity he'd been, and still was on some level, despite all that she and Dr. Levy were doing to help rid him of his demons once and for all. The good doctor assured him that he was more than halfway there, but he was not convinced.

The intense sessions with Dr. Levy often left him drained and irritable, but it never discouraged Bella. His relationship, or lack thereof, with his father had always been a sore subject for him, and most of the time, she didn't push him to talk about it when his sessions were over. He'd promised that when he was comfortable enough he would talk to her about it, and this was only after she had called him on his avoidance. His macho bravado did not intimidate her.

Bella didn't fear going there with him, because she had grown up seeing how her parents handled conflict and assured him that it was a normal part of every relationship. In every other way, they were growing closer as a couple, despite what Dr. Levy was helping him dredge up emotionally. Also, he didn't pull away from her physically; he was just quieter and lost in his thoughts sometimes. She was content to let him be for the sake of his mental health, and he loved the hell out of her for it.

The primary thing that kept him from sleeping at night was his inability to catch the person or persons after him, so there was a dark cloud hanging over Bella and everyone else he cared about in the world. He felt like he'd been spinning his wheels since May without making any leeway in figuring out who was behind it. He'd decided that he would begin with his Tallahassee arrests and work backward, even back to when he was on the force in Terre Haute. Something had to turn up.

Climbing into the bed next to Bella, he felt her stir and gravitate toward him, and he enveloped her gratefully into his arms. She took a deep breath, and he looked down to see her eyes flutter open.

"I didn't mean to wake you," he murmured.

She snuggled closer to him with a sigh. "Mmm... it's okay. Give me a few seconds of quiet, and I'll drop off again."

He wound his arms tightly around her. "Maybe some of it will rub off on me."

"You haven't been sleeping well," she said in a soft accusatory tone. "Wanna talk about it?"

He wondered how she'd come to that conclusion, given that they only spent Friday and Saturday nights together. This Sunday night was a bonus, because all their drunken friends had crashed with them on Friday night and they'd convoyed over to the stadium early Saturday morning for the tailgate. Bella had always been extremely intuitive where he was concerned.

He nuzzled her hair and took in a deep whiff of her scent. "It's enough that one of us can't sleep. I just use this time to go over things concerning the investigation. Nothing you need to worry about."

She was wide-awake now, and he could feel her glare in the semi-darkness. "I _always_ want to know, whether I worry or not, Edward. You've got to stop thinking I'm too fragile to hear the truth."

It was futile. He gave in without a fight. "The investigation has stalled. Beauvoir's been eluding me, and I have no leads. Whoever it is probably has had a chance to recuperate from that wound and is plotting another attack, and I have _nothing_."

"You'll figure it out soon. This is someone who's probably planned this out very carefully and knows exactly how to stay under the radar." She caressed his face. "He'll make a mistake soon, and then you'll be able to trip him up and bring him down."

He smiled and kissed her. "You've got a lot of confidence in me. Thanks for restoring mine."

"That's part of my job," she said with a sassy grin. "Now, what can I do to help you get to sleep?"

His eyes brightened and he kissed her again, deeper this time. She responded by moaning and wrapping her leg around him, hitching up her thigh until they were entwined. When the kiss was broken, Bella showered him with soft kisses and caresses until, not fifteen minutes later, he drifted off, calmed by the warmth of her loving touch.

~888~

Bella and her volunteer team had a meeting first thing Monday before the children came in. As she and Edward were looking out the window of her office while the volunteers were arriving, they saw Demetri getting out of the passenger side of his car. He was being chauffeured by a petite blonde whose face they couldn't see well, but they assumed was his fiancée, Jan. She quickly drove away, and Demetri fell in step with Sean as they entered the common room. Edward left to begin his perimeter sweeps as she went into the common room to join her volunteers.

Everyone seemed really excited that the school year had started and they were bonding with the kids again. When she retreated to her office after the meeting, Demetri tapped on her door. He looked a little gaunt, like he'd lost weight while he'd been away taking care of his mother. She smiled and gestured for him to come in.

"I've been meaning to ask, but there's been so much going on. How is your mother doing?" She was rifling through her briefcase for the weekly lesson plans she'd printed out the day before.

Demetri seemed tentative, but he came in and sat in one the chairs in front of her desk. "Mom's a trouper," he said. "She had a bout with thyroid cancer. Her doctors assure us it's highly treatable, and she'll be fine eventually."

She located the lesson plans placed them on her desk, and then gave him her full attention. "But I can see that it's taken a toll on you," she said sincerely. "Are you sure you're ready to come back to this?"

He made a dismissive gesture. "This is nothing, and I've taken a leave from my day job for a while, so I'm good."

"Great. Please give your parents my best when you talk to them again, okay?"

"Will do," he promised, and then his smile faded. "There was a guy down the street at the King Store on the corner who was asking about Edward."

Bella's heart began to beat double-time. "Really? Did you tell Edward about this?"

"Not yet," he said. "I haven't seen him today, but just in case I miss him, I wanted you to pass the word on to him. I know we've been on high-alert here for quite some time."

"Did he give you a name?"

"No," Demetri said. "Sorry, I should have thought to ask."

"You remember what he was driving?"

"A gold Ford Fusion—looked like a rental. He had an Enterprise key ring in his hand."

"Can you describe him? Edward's going to ask."

"Um, yeah. He was about average height, average build, dark hair, dark skin... Native American maybe."

"Have you seen him around before?" Bella pressed.

"Not that I can recall. It just jumped out at me that he was asking about Edward, considering the altercations you guys have had recently. Mrs. Williams mentioned the last one to me when I returned, so I thought you guys would want to know." He stood up.

"I'll call Edward. He needs to hear this, so don't be surprised if he pulls you out of your session to ask you some questions. I think we can manage without you."

Just then, Alice poked her head in the door. "Should I come back later?" she asked, looking quizzically between them.

"I was just leaving. I'll be happy to tell Edward anything he needs to know," Demetri said in parting and disappeared through the door.

Alice looked bewildered. "What will he be happy to tell Edward?"

"Someone was asking about him at the King Store," Bella said.

Alice sat gingerly in a chair in front of Bella's desk. Although she wasn't visibly showing much, she carried herself delicately like a woman who was bigger with child. Bella giggled. "Good morning, Mom. Baby Whitlock, how's Mommy been treating you?"

Alice answered for the baby. "Mommy's been trying to feed her little baby, but the nausea is just... ugh." Her cheeks ballooned out with the breath she expelled.

"It'll get better soon, won't it?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, that's what my doctor keeps saying, but I can't even stand the smell of food anymore, and that is... not cool!"

"What's also not cool is the fact that we're still calling your child Baby Whitlock. As meticulous as you and Jasper are, this child should have had a name before it was conceived, at the very least a choice for both genders. Even Uncle Edward—" Alice promptly burst into tears.

Bella jumped up out of her chair and went around to comfort her friend. "Hey, Ali, what's wrong? Please tell me this is just hormones or something." She just cried harder. Bella was torn between closing her office door to the common room and comforting Alice when Edward's face appeared in the window of the outside door. She gestured for him to go around to the other door, hoping that Demetri would catch up to him before he came in to find Alice in such a state.

"Stay right here," she said and sprinted over to the door to the common room, closed it, and let the blinds down.

She went immediately back to Alice who grabbed her around her waist and sobbed full-out against her torso. Bella was trapped, so she just relaxed and let Alice wet her blue linen blouse with her tears before she could hand her the tissues she'd grabbed as she got back to her desk. She rubbed Alice's back and used gentle words to soothe her until finally she was able to talk again. Bella sat in the chair next to her.

"J-Jasper wants to name our baby after his grandfather," she said with a slight stutter.

"And this is bad because?"

"He just happens to have the same name as some Confederate war hero."

"What's his grandfather's name?"

"B-Beauregard," Alice sobbed.

Bella wanted to grimace, but she kept it together and smiled. She handed Alice the tissues. "But Alice, it could be a girl."

"He wants to name her after my father's mother in that case."

"And what was her name?"

"Mil...dred," she cried. "See Bella, no matter what we have, I can just see kids teasing my child mercilessly when he or she grows up."

"Alice, you need to let Jasper know how you feel about this."

"I've tried, but he's been so happy. I didn't want to spoil it by hating both of the names he suggested."

"Well, what would you suggest in the alternative?"

"I like Jason and Sophie."

Bella took both her hands in her own and looked her squarely in the eyes. "Then tell him. And ask him for a couple more contemporary suggestions. If his input is important to both of you maybe you could pick one name and he could pick the other or something."

Alice thought about it a few seconds; then she smiled for the first time since her outburst. "That sounds like a good compromise." She dabbed her eyes and wiped her nose after taking a deep shuddering breath. "Thanks, Bella. You give some of the best advice."

"You're welcome," she said with relief. "What are friends for?"

"I know, right?" Alice said. "Which reminds me—"

"Uh, oh. How are those hormones, now? Will this require tissues, too?"

"Very funny," Alice said, hiccupping. "What were you going to say about Uncle Edward earlier?"

"Oh, just that even he's very excited about this baby. He was looking at tiny soccer uniforms when we were at Target the other day."

Alice's eyes watered up again. "That's so sweet..."

"Yeah, well, I'll tell you what's not so sweet," she said.

"What?"

"He's watching all the FIFA games he Tivo'd during the World Cup this summer. It's driving me _crazy_. Vuvuzelas should be outlawed."

"Yeah, I remember when Edward watched a couple of games out at our house with Jasper, and I made them watch in Jasper's office. Guess my hormones were kicking in 'round about then." She laughed. "They couldn't believe I'd gotten so upset about it."

"Well, I don't have your excuse, but I love the man. And it's the one thing he loves enough to ignore me... a little. So, compromise?" Bella smiled.

"I'll talk to Jasper when he gets home tonight. I think he'll be okay with what you suggested."

There was a knock at the door, and Bella smiled. She was pretty sure it was Edward. "Come in!"

He poked his head in with his face scrunched up in concern. "Is everything all right in here?"

"Sure, come on in, Officer Cullen. We're almost done here." Bella adopted her use of his professional name, never sure if there were prying ears listening. Alice and Maria were the only volunteers who knew for certain that she and Edward were dating, so she didn't want to make things awkward around the Center any more than necessary. Edward came in and closed the door, and Bella ran over and wound herself around him, and found his lips for an afternoon kiss.

Alice stood up. "You two are worse than Jasper and me."

"That's impossible," Edward said. "_Nobody_ is worse than you and Jasper."

She pondered that for a moment and then got excited. "You're probably right. Even now with the pregnancy and all, Jasper hasn't slowed down. He thinks it's really sexy—"

When Edward put his fingers in his ears and began making unintelligible noises, Bella frowned and cut her off. "You know, Alice. That's really a little TMI."

She folded her arms. "You two just wait. Let's see how you handle it when you're going at it like bunnies."

Edward laughed, and Bella turned beet red. Edward recovered first. "So, are you done? I'd like to have a few minutes alone with my girlfriend before the children descend upon the place."

"Okay, but hey, Bella, could I borrow your car for a few days since you're not really using it? We dropped mine off at the dealership this morning. We're trading it in for a safer, more child-friendly vehicle, but it won't be coming in for a few more days. My husband, the proud papa, had to have everything meet his specifications." Alice rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smirk.

"Sure," Bella said. "We'll have to take you to get it because it's still parked at my apartment. Edward's been starting it up and taking it around the block, so it should be fine for you to drive."

"Thanks," Alice said. "I'll see you two out there in ten." She flounced out the door, closing it quickly behind her.

~888~

_It is usually in hindsight that you are able to think back and pinpoint the exact moment in time that your life changes so profoundly. At the very least, you can identify an event that begins the spiral that moves your life through the most difficult trials you can imagine. It was the simple act of a friend doing a friend a favor that catapulted them into a situation that would set everything else in motion._

Edward called in to Captain Black who sent a relief over for him since he'd be gone for about an hour, dropping Alice off to pick up Bella's car and then taking Bella home to the condo. He was happy to take his two favorite girls wherever they needed to go. Alice told them hilarious stories about the other names in Jasper's family they'd considered for the baby but nixed for various reasons. One was Horatio, which made Edward promptly think about _Horatio Hornblower_. Another was Ambrose, and the very worst, Jubal. The names for a girl weren't any better. The other choices were Louella, Eminnie, and Esther.

"There's probably not a single living human in the twenty-first century that has either of those names. Our child would be a laughingstock from pre-school through college. Better yet, none of the children he or she would associate with would be able to pronounce the name Beauregard," Alice fumed. "Edward, would you please talk to Jasper for me?"

Bella interjected, "Wait, I thought you were going to talk to your husband about a compromise."

"I just don't want to hurt his feelings, but he might consider it if Edward were to gently broach the subject."

"I don't know, Alice," Edward hedged. "That seems like something you two might want to hash out between you. You know Jasper would do anything for you, and if you let him know how much you dislike those names, I think he'd be willing to pick something a little more contemporary. Maybe even Jasper Beauregard Whitlock." Edward struggled valiantly to keep a straight face when he said it and hoped Alice didn't notice his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. Bella reached over and pinched his thigh—hard—shaking her head imperceptibly. He winced.

"Even Jasper Whitlock, Jr. would be great. I'd have a big Jazz and a little Jazz," Alice said with a sigh.

"And what new father could say no that that?" Bella looked back at Alice in the backseat and flashed her most convincing smile.

Edward quickly seconded that. "I know if it were me, I'd be blown away. I mean the idea of a little person bearing your name." Bella looked at him with equal parts love and utter surprise. Damn, he'd surprised himself with that one. For a moment, he'd forgotten there was an Edward Cullen, Sr. Sensing his sudden discomfort, Bella rubbed his thigh where she'd pinched it as he pulled in front of the leasing office.

"I'll just get Alice settled," he said rather nervously to Bella. "Be right back."

Taking Bella's key from his pocket, he unlocked the door for Alice, leaned in, and started the engine and the A/C.

"It's hotter than an oven in there. Give it a few seconds," he said to his diminutive cousin.

Alice smiled and gave him a big hug. "Thanks, Edward, for listening to my ranting about baby names and understanding and letting me use Bella's car."

Edward grinned. "You're welcome, and I'll pass your thanks on to Bella."

Alice looked at Bella sitting patiently in Edward's cruiser and waved. Bella waved back. "I can see you two with a couple of beautiful little rug rats running around someday."

"Really now?" Alice was really beginning to make him squirm, but secretly he loved it. "We'll just see about that. You just have this one so we can test drive it and see how we like it."

"You've gotta make her a Cullen first," Alice said mischievously.

"I'm well aware of the order of things," he said as he helped her into the driver's seat, then deftly changed the subject. "Tell Jasper I have a few more World Cup games on Tivo that he needs to watch with me."

"Okay, but he'll be coming to your place to get his vuvuzela fix. Bye, Edward."

"We'll trail you out as far as Capital Circle, and then you're on your own. Bye." He closed the door for her and quickly got back into his cruiser.

"You're so adorable, Uncle Edward," Bella teased and leaned over to give him a kiss.

He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth as she was pulling away and mumbled, "I've got your Uncle Edward." Bella laughed as she re-buckled her seatbelt. Edward followed suit, and they pulled out of the parking lot behind Alice. The car jerked a bit when she stopped at the exit, but Edward attributed it to her not being familiar with Bella's car. Then she pulled out onto Esplanade Way, driving the customary thirty miles-per-hour speed limit in residential zones. At the stop sign at the corner of Esplanade and Blair Stone, Alice barely stopped, and Edward could see that she seemed to be struggling with controlling the car. He picked up his cell and dialed her.

"Hey, that was a stop sign—"

"Edward, something is wrong with the car. The brakes aren't holding," Alice said frantically.

A cold chill traversed his spine. "Okay, Alice... stay calm and take your foot off the gas."

He heard Bella, who was looking on in horror, begin to pray as he kept pace with Alice. He hit his lights and his siren and began to race ahead of her. She was nearing the light at Capital Circle, and mercifully, traffic was stopped in the north-south direction. "Don't turn on Capital Circle," Edward yelled. "Stay straight on Blair Stone!"

"Okay," Alice cried. "Now what?"

"I'll go around and try to get in front of you so I can stop you, okay?" He sped past Alice driving Bella's red Mazda and positioned his car in front of her. Unfortunately, Blair Stone was pretty much downhill from that point, and there were two cars in the right lane ahead. Edward used his speaker. "Pull over!" he demanded, and the two cars complied. He continued to speed as Alice inched closer to him.

"Alice, I'm going to slow down and allow you to touch my bumper, okay?"

"O-okay," she said. They could both hear that she was audibly crying now. Bella began to cry, too. It was almost too much for Edward to take, but he knew he had to keep his cool to save Alice and her unborn child. He felt honored that Alice wanted him to be the baby's uncle as opposed to its second cousin. Then he thought for a fleeting second how it was amazing what stupid, mundane things you think of during a crisis.

As he began to slow, he hit his talkie and engaged Dispatch. "This is Officer Edward Cullen, traveling west on Blair Stone Road. I have a runaway vehicle in progress, possible vehicle tampering. Please send back-up. Attempting to stop the vehicle. Driver is an expectant mother. I'll need EMTs and a fire engine en route."

They blew through the stop light at Blair Stone and Paul Russell, which was thankfully only a three-way stop, and he continued to slow. He addressed Alice again. "I'm going to slow even further, Al," he said. "When you hit my bumper, it might engage the airbag, if it does and you have reaction time, sink a little lower in the seat, so your stomach won't take as much impact, okay?"

"O—ooh, Edward, I'm scared..."

"I am, too, sweetheart," he said, his voice cracking with emotion. Bella had her head in her hands and was still praying, but silently now. "We need to stop before we get to Orange Avenue, if we can. Are you ready?"

"Y-yes," Alice said almost too softly for him to hear. He slowed a bit more. He wanted to keep slowing, but a car jumped out into the lane in front of him, and he had to put on his brakes quicker than he'd intended. He barely got a chance to throw his arm across Bella's chest as Alice rammed into him at about forty-five miles-per-hour. From the rearview mirror, he could see the airbag deploying, but he had to bring them to a safe stop as quickly as he could before he could get to Alice.

It seemed to take forever to stop. He felt like he was in some surreal horror film as he heard his tires, and the tires on Alice's car, finally screeching to a halt. He put on his emergency brake, hopped out of the car, and ran back to where Alice was pinned, unmoving beneath the air bag. She was so tiny behind it and almost totally obscured by the bulging safety device. He tried to get the door open, but it was locked. He growled angrily in frustration, but then he felt Bella's hand touch his. He didn't even remember her getting out of the car.

"I think I have the extra keys in my purse," she said as she ran back around to the passenger side of the cruiser to retrieve them. She came back moments later, quickly unlocking the door with the keyless entry device. Edward pulled the door open, took a knife from his utility belt, and cut away the airbag. They could see Alice clearly slumped down in the seat, her head lolling to the side lifelessly. Edward put his face and ear up to her mouth to feel if she was breathing. He felt her wrist for a pulse. It was erratic and her breathing was weak. He quickly unfastened her seatbelt. A fire engine and several other emergency vehicles were approaching from the distance.

"Edward, maybe we shouldn't move her," Bella suggested. "I think the ambulance is almost here."

"My cousin is unconscious in this fucking car, and I damn well am going to move her!" he snapped. Bella flinched as if he'd struck her. It broke his heart that he was so harsh with the woman he loved more than life, but Alice needed him right now. Moving the released seatbelts and the deflated airbag as much as he could, he cradled Alice in his arms and lifted her out of the car. A Leon County EMS truck pulled up just as he did so. A giant of an EMT tech and his partner, a pint-sized blonde no bigger than Alice, jumped out and approached them.

~888~

Bella watched as the giant spoke first. "Officer, I'm sure you know the drill. Why are you lifting a clearly unconscious woman from a vehicle without our assistance? You could be doing her more harm than good."

Bella stepped between them, because she knew Edward was in no mood to be reprimanded by this guy. "Officer Cullen is the patient's cousin," she explained. The tech pursed his lips and gave his partner a "can you believe this shit?" look.

"Let's just get her on a gurney, Felix," his partner said and headed for the back of the bus. Felix looked at Edward who was still cradling his tiny cousin. Then he gave Bella a "whatever" shrug and followed his partner around the back of the ambulance where they brought the gurney and their emergency kit back to the front of the vehicle.

Bella addressed the giant again, who was kind of checking her out unabashedly with a sweeping gaze. She was glad Edward was not lucid, or this EMT might have tripped his hair-trigger temper even further. "Felix? Alice is about twelve weeks pregnant. Please do all you can to help her."

Felix regarded her evenly. "We'll do that if you can get Officer Catatonic to release her."

"Okay, give me a minute," she said and headed to where Edward was standing against the back of her car with Alice clutched firmly in his arms. He was cradling her like an infant, and Bella could see a little blood dripping from her mouth. "Edward... sweetheart," Bella said. "You've got to let the techs take care of Alice now, okay?"

Edwards's eyes snapped to hers. It was as if he could understand that she was saying but wasn't quite comprehending it. She stepped closer to him. "Baby, please let Felix and his partner do their job." She took his elbow. "Come on, Edward. Let's get Alice on the gurney so the EMTs can help her."

Edward finally began walking toward the stretcher. Felix and his partner met him halfway, and they eased Alice out of his arms and onto the gurney. Bella took Edward's hand and stepped back from the stretcher to allow the EMTs to work on Alice. She slid her arms around Edward and hugged him. "She's going to be all right, Edward."

A couple of Edward's comrades in blue and about a half-dozen firefighters descended on them then, and it was chaos. The EMTs made swift work of getting Alice stabilized and ready to be transported to the hospital.

"Felix, please take her to TMH," Bella yelled. "Her father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, is on staff there." Felix nodded grimly, and he and his partner rolled Alice to the back of the ambulance. Bella was torn. She needed to ride with Alice to the hospital but was afraid to leave Edward alone. He was clearly in shock. Then she saw Seth.

"Seth, thank God you're here. Please stay with Edward," she said quickly. "I'm going to ride with Alice to the hospital."

"You got it," Seth answered quickly. "I'll make sure he gets to the hospital after the responding officers debrief him."

Bella quickly grabbed her purse and Alice's and ran to the back of the ambulance where Felix was strapping Alice in for transport. She tapped on the door, and he swung it open.

"Is it okay if I ride over with her?" Bella asked. "She's my best friend, and I need to call her husband."

Felix reached down to give Bella a hand. "Suit yourself."

The snarky giant pulled her up effortlessly, and then she was in the back of the ambulance with Alice. Felix hopped down. "I told the hospital dispatcher to contact Dr. Cullen. He'll probably be in the ER waiting."

"Thanks," Bella said. Felix closed the door and went around to the driver's side. "Keri, take care of Alice and her friend back there. I'll drive."

Bella took Alice's clammy hand in hers and began to pray again in earnest as the ambulance sped through rush-hour traffic on the busy streets of Tallahassee.

~888~

**E/N: Readers, what do you think? Are Alice and Baby Whitlock going to be okay? How is Jasper going to handle this? How will this affect Uncle Edward? Tune in next chapter to find out. But in the mean time, hit review and share your thoughts.**


	30. Ch 29 TLC: Unthinkable

**A/N: I know it's been a long time coming, but finally here's your next installment of TLC! My betas are behind me 100% and I want to thank them personally for always supporting me even through my dry spells: Charmie77, acireamos, SSHG316, SavageWoman and Irritable Grizzzly. I depend on them to rid my writing of fandom clichés and random romance novel cheesiness. They do a stellar job!**

**I have been re-tweaking my Twilight Gift Exchange AU story, "Yuletide Canticle" which will begin posting soon. If you love Vampire Edward and human Bella, please stay tuned and put me on author alerts for this alternate re-telling of the love story. Also, readers of my "Always and Forever" one-shot in collaboration with SavageWoman, I have not forgotten you. I'm going to try to twist Savage Woman's arm to begin work on that soon.**

**My FGB Outtakes were purchased by the fabulous EdwardBabyMomma (EBM07 on Twitter) and the marvelous team of Arfalcon and Nanette. I am looking forward to writing two TLC outtakes that will thrill their hearts! And Readers, you get to share in their great fortune, because it will be posted here after being delivered to the winners. :)**

**This chapter is specially dedicated to my readers extraordinaire, ChefJayla and FunmbiE. **

**Two women after my own heart!**

**TRUST, LOYALTY, COMMITMENT**

**Unthinkable***

**by Alicia Keys**

(Excerpt of lyrics in End Note)

**"Pandemonium did not reign; it poured." - John Hendrick Bangs**

**"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."**

**John 15:13 (KJV)**

**Chapter 29 - TLC - Unthinkable**

Jasper arrived so soon after Alice was whisked into an ER suite that Bella was only able to ascertain that Alice's tiny body had undergone some trauma. They were fighting to get her conscious and running tests to determine the baby's status. Then they would decide the best course of treatment for her.

Bella recounted the details of the accident to Jasper as he anxiously paced the floor, staying as close as he possibly could to Alice. Carlisle and his colleagues—the ER doctor, a trauma surgeon, the obstetrician, and two nurses—were conferring softly in medical jargon as they worked to revive her. After she was stabilized they gave Jasper a brief moment with her.

Bella was amazed at Jasper's relative calm as he assessed the situation and assured his unconscious wife of his presence and love.

"Alice, I'm here, baby," he said quietly. "Do what you do best sweetheart and fight. I know you will, not only for yourself, but for little Sophie or Jackson." His voice caught. "I know you really didn't like any of those other names we were kicking around, and I kind of tortured you with it. I'm sorry. I need you to wake up so we can name our little one something that will make us both happy."

With that, Jasper deferred to the doctors so they could save his wife and child. He backed reluctantly away and assumed a posture of silent vigilance.

Carlisle excused himself from his colleagues and walked over to Jasper. Bella could see in their eyes the love these men had for Alice and for each other. Carlisle enveloped Jasper in a fatherly hug before he put on his professional demeanor.

"The impact from the accident caused internal damage, and we've run some diagnostic tests to determine just how much. We should get these momentarily. At a little over twelve weeks, the baby is well-protected by Alice's abdominal muscles, the small amount of fat she has, her uterine wall, and amniotic fluid. The bruising from the seatbelt indicates that she was properly restrained, so we're hoping that the airbag absorbed even more of the impact. This bodes well for the baby. However, any trauma to her own internal organs could affect the baby, so we're mitigating whatever damage there might be, hoping that it's not severe enough to cause a spontaneous rejection of the fetus." Carlisle looked grimly at Jasper and Bella. "The sooner she regains consciousness, the better. Pray for her."

Jasper cleared his throat, as if swallowing a lump. "Carlisle, I know you and your colleagues will do everything you can for both of them. But i-if it comes to a decision—God help me—I don't want to live without Alice." Tears fell unbidden down his cheeks, and Carlisle once more took on the role of father and pulled his son-in-law into his arms.

"God help me, too," he said gruffly. "I'm in total agreement with you there, son."

Bella couldn't help it. The dam of tears she'd so valiantly tried to hold back broke again, and she was silently sobbing, her arms wrapped firmly around her torso.

Carlisle came over to her. Bella released herself and gave him a brief hug. "Thank you for getting her here and telling the EMTs about Alice's pregnancy. Under the circumstances, Felix and Keri were able to begin prepping her for treatment almost immediately. That was very important."

"I should have been in that car. Not Alice," she said sadly. The guilt was like a parasite gnawing at her insides.

"This was not your fault, Bella. My daughter and grandchild are fighting for their lives because some madman has a vendetta against Edward. He's the only one at fault here," Carlisle said, his cool facade slipping for a moment and Bella saw pure anger. However, he recovered his professional bedside manner quickly.

Carlisle rejoined his colleagues who were still hovering over Alice. Jasper pulled Bella to his side and hugged her close. They watched from a corner of the room as the doctors continued their work.

~888~

Someone was calling his name insistently, but for the first few seconds, his brain didn't register it properly. The first thing he realized was that he was sitting in a cruiser and not in the driver's seat like he usually was. It felt oddly surreal. Edward looked at Seth, who was sitting behind the wheel looking at him expectantly. His lips were moving, and eventually Edward was able to discern what was being said.

"Edward. Edward..." Seth grabbed his forearm and shook him.

He looked at Seth listlessly. "Yeah?"

"You sure you want to be here alone? I can take you to the hospital to be with your family." Seth's tone was anxious.

Then it all came rushing back to him. Alice. All he could do was hope and pray that his Uncle Carlisle and the other medical professionals at TMH were taking good care of her. He couldn't face his family.

"I—I'm gonna take a shower. I'll drive over later." He hoped his lie was convincing enough as he stepped out of the car. "Thanks, Seth."

Edward closed the door. If he were his usual self, he would have looked back and waved Seth off before he stepped into his building, but he didn't look back. Had he been thinking straight, he might also have asked Seth to drop him off at Bella's apartment, but the therapy he needed was not there. He was prepared to walk pass the doorman without a word, but he heard his name at least twice before he stopped and turned.

Henry came around and gave him a slip of paper. On it was the name "Featherstone" and a phone number.

Edward's mind immediately went to Paul. He exploded. "Is this some kind of sick joke!"

Henry recoiled. "N-No, O-officer Cullen. A young man in his twenties maybe—maybe Native American—came in looking for you. He said his name was Featherstone and you were in the Marines with his brother."

Paul talked about his brother all the time. Why couldn't he think of his name? Edward closed his eyes tightly, reeling from a sudden bout of vertigo. He fought the urge to black out. Sweat beads popped on his forehead and he wobbled, but Henry reacted quickly and steadied him.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "Do you need assistance getting to your penthouse?"

He heard Henry, but his mind was busy trying to process his second bombshell of the day. Paul's brother—Jared—that was his name, was in Tallahassee? What could he possibly want? Was Mrs. Featherstone okay? Maybe he was the guy Dimitri said was asking about him. Edward took a couple of deep breaths, and then opened his eyes trying to string a coherent sentence together.

"Um, I'll be fine." He rubbed a hand over his face and through his hair, trying desperately to shrug off the fog that had engulfed him since the accident. "Sorry for blowing up at you, Henry. I've just had a bad day. Thanks for the message."

"No problem, Officer Cullen," he said. "Take care—and buzz me if you need anything."

Edward clutched the piece of paper and headed for the elevator.

Truth be told, his day was seriously fucked up and getting more so by the minute. If Jared had gone to this much trouble to seek him out in the flesh, this could not be good. If this were purely social, surely a phone call prior to just showing up might have been a better option. Jared had been just a kid when Paul died. Did he have some kind of axe to grind now? Then Edward thought, _"Well yeah, stupid, his brother's dead because he pushed your sorry ass out of the way."_

Edward went into autopilot when he reached the master bedroom. Stepping into the walk-in closet, he stripped off his service belt and all his clothes. When he stepped into the shower, he made the water as hot as he could stand it, yet try as he might, it wouldn't wash away his visions. Alice losing control of the car. Alice unconscious in his arms. Bella looking hurt as he yelled at her. How the hell had everything spun so out of control so quickly?

He was suddenly taken back to that day at Arlington National Cemetery when his friend, Corporal Paul Featherstone, was laid to rest. He had volunteered to be an honorary pallbearer despite his recent stint at Landstuhl.

_After the somber ceremony and the last refrain of Taps was played, Edward approached Mrs. Featherstone as she held the folded ceremonial flag in her hands, which just minutes before had lain on her son's casket. _

_Her skin was flawless and the only thing that marred her pretty face was the endless stream of tears that would not be staunched. A young boy who looked to be about seventeen stood next to her, his pain mirroring that of his mother. Paul looked just like them, he thought as he approached. How fitting considering Mr. Featherstone's absence for most of their lives._

_Edward came to a stop in front of Mrs. Featherstone, almost standing at attention. Paul's mother deserved the respect that one would pay a senior officer, so he saluted her. Her face registered recognition through her pain._

_"Edward Cullen?" she whispered._

_"Yes, ma'am," Edward said formally._

_Then Mrs. Featherstone did something that confounded him. She stepped forward and embraced him like he was her prodigal son, folded flag and all. As he held her, she whispered a verse from Scripture to him:_

_"'When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.' This is what Jesus said to Mary as he presented John to her at his crucifixion. Paul called me about you and recited this two days before he died."_

_At that point, Edward broke down and bawled like a baby in the arms of his friend's mother._

Just remembering it made him sink to the floor of the shower as he let go of all the pain he'd been harboring, both from years before and the day's events. He wept for Paul, who had made the ultimate sacrifice for him; for Alice and his unborn cousin; for Bella and all that she had given up and compromised to accept him. As it turned out, he still felt deep-down he wasn't good enough for her. All he'd brought into Bella's life was danger and a healthy libido that had her breaking all kinds of rules of her faith. And he really didn't know how to feel about that anymore.

~888~

One of the nurses escorted Bella to a private waiting room so she would be available to greet the other family members and bring them up to speed on what was happening. She had to keep herself together, at least until she relayed all the pertinent information to Esme and Elizabeth. Carlisle came out briefly and greeted his wife and sister-in-law and gave them the same information in more efficient medical terms.

Elizabeth was concerned that Edward hadn't shown up yet. Bella was too, but she hadn't been in a place where she could use her cell phone until then. While the Cullen women peppered Carlisle with questions, Bella stepped away and dialed Edward's cell. He didn't pick up. When her phone vibrated immediately afterward, her heart leapt, hoping it was Edward. However, it was Rosalie, letting her know she and Emmett were on their way.

Carlisle was paged, and he left them quickly. Elizabeth sat between Bella and Esme on the sofa with one arm around Esme, while holding Bella's hand firmly, quietly praying and talking intermittently as the minutes ticked past.

As comforting as it was to be there for Esme and Elizabeth, Bella felt a void in her heart that wouldn't be filled until she was able to set her eyes on Edward again, to see for herself that he was okay. His continued absence was disconcerting, to say the least.

She excused herself and left the room to try him again, but no luck, so she decided to call the first man who'd stolen her heart: her father. She tried to convince herself that she just needed to hear his voice and his words of encouragement. When she explained what happened, Charlie was prepared to pick Renee up from her office and head over to the hospital, but Bella assured him they didn't have to do that. Her father must have heard the vulnerability in her voice, because he didn't listen. Thirty minutes later her parents walked into the private waiting room. Bella had never been so happy to see them. She flew into her mother's arms and burst into tears again.

"Whoever did this thought it would be me in that car. Oh, God! If anything happens to Alice and her baby-"

"Shh," Renee soothed. "I'm sure the doctors are doing everything they can."

Bella went from her mother's arms to her father's, and he encouraged her in his calm pastoral manner as only he could. "Guilt is not a positive emotion, baby girl. The best thing we can do for Alice and the baby is to stay strong and positive, and bathe them in prayer."

Elizabeth was happy to see the Swans arrive and immediately enlisted Rev. Swan to lead them in a pastoral prayer, which Charlie was happy to do. About fifteen minutes later, Emmett and Rosalie, as well as Alice and Jasper's pastor and his wife, joined them in the waiting room where they spoke in hushed tones, prayed more, and waited to hear news of Alice's condition. Only Carlisle and Jasper knew exactly what was going on with Alice, since they were with her. It had now been a couple of hours since the accident, and Bella had not seen nor heard from Edward. She tried him on his cell again, but still no answer.

Rosalie sidled up to her and whispered, "Where's Edward?"

"I left him at the scene with Seth. I've tried to get him, but he's not answering his cell."

Bella tried to keep her face impassive, but Rosalie wasn't fooled. She picked up her cell and called Seth. "Hey, Seth. Sorry to call you after hours, but we're trying to get a bead on Edward. Any idea where he is now?"

~888~

Bella stood just outside the door of the condo, listening to the muted sound of the piano. Edward was doing what he could control. She turned the lock and entered. He was seated at the piano playing "Zoom" and singing in Jeff Buckley-esque fashion the tune that Lionel Ritchie and the Commodores had made famous in the seventies. Closing the door, she set her purse and cell phone on the bar and moved to the bench. He was playing and singing with such feeling, it made her want to cry. She needed to reassure him that Alice and the baby were fine, so she fought back the tears and plastered a smile on her face. He looked at her; his lips turned up into a semblance of a smile, and continued to play, singing the words to her.

_I'm searching for that silver lining_

_Horizons that I've never seen_

_Oh I'd like to take just a moment and dream my dream_

_Dream my dream_

_Zoom..._

Bella held his eyes and inched closer until she stood immediately behind him. She buried her fingers in his slightly damp hair. He continued to play and sing until he finished the final verse, then he swiveled around on the bench until he was facing her. Pulling her effortlessly between his legs, he wound his arms around her waist and burrowed his head in her chest as she continued to massage his scalp. Finally, he asked the questions she expected.

"How is Alice? And the baby?"

"Alice and Baby Whitlock are fine now. The baby was in danger due to some internal damage, but Carlisle and Dr. Bush got her hemorrhaging under control quickly. However, they had to remove her spleen. The baby's heartbeat is stronger now, and Alice is stable. Apparently little ones are quite resilient and very protected inside their mothers, and Alice was properly restrained, so her system took most of the damage."

Bella could feel his relief. She squeezed him tightly around his neck and shoulders and kissed the top of his head.

"Thank God she's okay. I messed up. I shouldn't have..."

"Shh..." Bella soothed. She used her father's words to calm him. "Guilt is not a positive emotion. Let's just be thankful that she and the baby are all right."

Edward looked up into her eyes. His were moist and tender. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. That was wrong. Pulling Alice out of the car was wrong. Not showing up at the hospital—"

"But stopping the car before she was hit by someone else was right, Edward. We are all grateful that you were there to do that. And maybe you coming home to decompress was better for all concerned."

"I don't deserve you, Bella."

She smirked and said teasingly, "You're probably right." But then she saw how serious he looked, and she placed her hands on the sides of his face. "When are you going to stop putting me on some pedestal that I don't deserve? We're all human and frail, myself included. Faith doesn't make us perfect; it just reassures us that we're forgiven. I'm glad that you love me, but not in this self-deprecating way that you do. We are equal in every way; therefore, we deserve each other."

Edward pulled her close again and rested his head on her breast. "I love you so much, Bella."

"And I love you." She smiled, and for the first time that day, it was genuine. She saw a slip of paper lying on the piano that looked like it had been balled up and smoothed out again. It had the name Featherstone and a phone number on it. She picked it up.

"What's this?"

"Apparently, Paul's kid brother Jared is looking for me." He ran one hand through his hair and sighed laboriously.

"So, maybe he's the guy Demetri saw at the King store?" Bella released him and held the paper in both hands, studying it as if the answer to her question might appear on the paper.

Edward frowned. "I'll call him tomorrow. I really couldn't get my head in the right place to call him today."

"So he just kind of shows up without calling or anything?"

"Looks that way. I wonder if Mrs. Featherstone is okay. Maybe I'll call her in the morning before I call Jared."

"Probably a good idea. Maybe she can shed some light on why he's here," she said.

Edward stood and took her into his arms again for a proper hug. "Yeah, I'll do that." He was quiet for a moment. "You know Paul used to sing that song I was playing all the time. It drove me crazy." He laughed mirthlessly.

"He said that song was the one thing he could remember about his father. Apparently his old man loved it. I asked him, 'Why do you sing that song if all it does is remind you of the father who left you?' And you know what he said?"

She tilted her head and looked up into his eyes. "What?"

"He said the lyrics gave him a glimpse into the kind of man he hoped his father was, despite his inability to stay and take care of the family he started. You see, Paul forgave his father for leaving them, and he would have given anything to be able to do that in person, but he never had the opportunity. Singing that song reminded him why he'd forgiven him."

"I hope it does the same for you," she said. And with that, she kissed him softly on the lips. "I'll make us some dinner."

Bella whipped up a couple of omelets for them. While neither she nor Edward had a great appetite, they ate as much as they could stomach and fed the rest to the garbage disposal. It was a weeknight, and Edward usually didn't spend the night, but Bella asked him to stay and he agreed. However, she sensed that he still really wasn't himself.

When they retired for the night, he laid on his back with his arms propped behind his head. Undaunted, Bella rolled up close to him and rested her head on his chest. She traced circles on his chest that eventually became caresses, but he didn't respond in the way she'd imagined. Reaching down, he took her hand in his and stilled it, then brought his other arm around her. Too sleepy to be really miffed about being shut down, and too emotionally drained to turn it into a long drawn-out conversation, she sighed and closed her eyes.

~888~

Edward awoke early and took a run down south Monroe, not bothering to wake Bella to go with him. She'd been out late at the hospital and deserved to sleep in. His mind was riddled with scenarios—most of which had to do with the investigation and what he needed to do to quickly un-stall it. However, the primary scenarios playing through his mind were the things he could do to keep Bella safe while he pursued various leads.

It was becoming increasingly apparent that the people after him wanted blood. This recent incident with Alice had made it paramount that the perps should be found quickly before anyone else got hurt. It would upset him if it were anyone he loved, but it would destroy him if that person was Bella. She was his life, but how could he go about preserving it? Within a week's time, he would realize that the seed of a plan that had been planted in his head when Alice was hurt would eventually break both their hearts.

When he returned and emerged from the shower, Bella had made pancakes, and they sat and had their morning meal together. She was beautiful as always. He watched her tool around the kitchen in a lavender pajama set that fit so nicely it made him want to take her back into the bedroom for some early morning delight, but he scolded himself. _You need to get your mind in the game, Cullen. This investigation won't solve itself, and you're not having sex with Bella anytime soon._

He offered to clean up their breakfast dishes, and Bella disappeared into the Master Bedroom to shower and dress for the day. She wanted to pop in and check on Alice before going to the Center, and so did he, considering he hadn't shown his face at the hospital the night before.

When the kitchen was clean, he meandered into his study and rummaged in his desk until he found his old address book. Flipping it open to the page he needed, he fished his cell phone out of his pocket and slunk down in his desk chair where he dialed the number quickly. He was disappointed when it rang several times and there was no answer, not even an answering machine.

Retrieving the slip of paper with Jared's number on it, he dialed him. Pay dirt.

"Hello," a voice that sounded eerily like Paul's greeted him.

Edward couldn't help but smile, and greeted him warmly. "Hi, Jared? This is Edward Cullen. My doorman gave me your message. What brings you to Tallahassee?"

The returning voice wasn't warm. In fact, it was decidedly cold. "Work. There's a matter of some urgency that I need to discuss with you."

Edward chuckled in spite of himself. "Man, you sound so much like Paul. How can I help you? You know I'd do anything for you and your mom."

"I'd prefer to talk to you in person, if that's possible."

Edward pressed on anyway. "Is your mother okay? I tried to call her, but she didn't answer."

"My mother is fine. She's taking care of her sick sister in North Carolina, but don't worry about her. You won't have to worry about her ever again."

"Jared, what's this about? You know Paul was my best friend and I love your family. I was a mess when I got out of the Corps and I haven't kept in close touch with your mom since I moved south, but I'm still committed to taking care of you guys like I always have."

"If you don't agree to meet me in person, I'll just keep coming by when I'm in town."

"Jared-" Edward began, but Jared cut him off, the edge to his voice harder.

"I'm in Tallahassee until the end of the day. When and where do you want to meet?"

Edward was perplexed. He couldn't believe how hostile Jared was being. "I have a family crises going on right now. Today is—impossible."

"I'll be back next Monday on the thirteenth. Can you see me then?"

Edward recognized the date as Bella's birthday. He hedged, "I have something important going on that day and I don't think I'm going to be available. Look, can't you just tell me what this is about?"

"Don't you get it, yet, Cullen? I will only talk to you in person about this. We don't want anything from you. So, when and where?"

He was already weary of arguing. "Monday morning, ten a.m., Starbucks on Tennessee Street."

"I'll be there," Jared said and promptly hung up.

Edward couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He'd figured Jared was just a shy boy when they first met because whenever he'd visited Mrs. Featherstone, Jared was either otherwise occupied or away at school. The half-dozen times he'd seen him, he was very reserved. Where was Jared getting all this hostility now? He really needed to talk to Mrs. Featherstone, but she was out of town and he didn't know when she would be returning.

His anger spiked, and he slammed his cell phone down so hard, the back cover came off of it. Bella walked in at that moment.

Her hand went to her heart. "Is there bad news from the hospital?"

Edward quickly reassured her. "No, no." He massaged his temple with two fingers and struggled to form the words to tell her what had just happened.

"I'll tell you about it in the car," he said and held his hand out to her. She looked curious still, but took his hand with a smile, and they headed out the door.

~888~

On the way over to the hospital, Edward shared a brief version of his conversation with Jared.

"Jared was young when Paul died, and he's probably just placing blame wherever he can to mask his pain," she said. "You should talk to Mrs. Featherstone."

"That's my hope. I'll try her again before I meet with him next week," Edward said as he pulled into a visitor parking spot at the hospital.

They entered the room. Jasper was perched on the lounge chair watching the muted television, while Alice, looking tiny and pale, slept. Tubes and wires were going everywhere, and all they heard was the soothing sound of Baby Whitlock's heartbeat from the monitor, which was turned up, while Alice's monitor was muted.

Jazz's face split into a smile when he came out of his boob tube-induced stupor. He looked like he'd pulled an all-nighter.

"Hey, guys," he whispered as he stood to greet them. He glanced at Alice. "She dozes intermittently because they've got her on pain meds."

"It's okay," Edward said. "I just wanted to see her for myself, since I, uh... Jazz, I should have been here last night, but..."

Jasper grasped his arm. "You stopped the car which was clearly out of control. You saved my wife and baby from a worse fate, Edward. Thank you."

All Edward could think to do at that moment was pull Jasper in for a hug. Bella watched as they patted backs and fought tears as grown men often try to do when they're emotional. She gave them their moment and walked over to Alice's bedside. Edward moved over behind Bella and looked down at his tiny cousin. Jasper joined them on the other side and they all smiled down at her. Edward and Bella watched her sleeping, her lips slack, mouth slightly open. Her hair was more unruly than his, and he chuckled.

"What?" Bella whispered.

"You know she's going to hate that we're seeing her with her hair like this, right?"

"What's up with my hair?" Alice slurred her words without opening her eyes. They were startled.

"It's just a hot mess, girlfriend," Bella said, fishing into her purse. "But I'll fix that for you right now."

Locating a comb, Bella leaned over to smooth out Alice's hair. She hesitated a second. "I promise, I don't have lice. Renee's genes assure me of that."

Alice opened her eyes, which were cloudy with sleep, and smiled. Her voice was gravelly, perhaps from the effects of the anesthesia. "Thanks, Bella. I'm glad you're here. These men might have let me go all day without doing anything about it."

"How do you feel?" Edward asked.

She cleared her throat. "Like I've gone fifteen rounds with Laila Ali, and she beat my scrawny ass."

They laughed. "The docs have you on the mend for the rematch," Jasper said.

"I hear Sophie-Jackson's heart still beating loud and clear," Alice said.

"Sophie-Jackson?" Bella asked.

"We've been hyphenating it since she came out of recovery around midnight."

Edward teased, "But I liked Beauregard!" They all looked at him like he was insane.

"If you like it so much, you can have that name for your firstborn," Alice retorted.

~888~

Edward was uncharacteristically combative with Dr. Levy at his next session. His therapist had been nothing but professional, and Edward had grown to consider him a friend; but try as he might, he couldn't get himself to cooperate. Pangs of guilt and blame still ripped through his soul even though he knew intellectually that Jared's animosity had sprung from the hurt and anger he hadn't dealt with from Paul's death.

There was a part of him deep down that still felt responsible, although he hadn't asked Paul to save him. Because of Paul's sacrifice, Mrs. Featherstone had lost a son, and Jared had lost a brother. He felt like all the progress he'd made had gone out the window and he was back to square one. Ira Levy, however, had the patience of a saint, and so he indulged Edward as if he were a twelve-year-old, which only served to piss him off even further.

Edward jutted his chin out defiantly and addressed what he thought was the elephant in the room. "This psychobabble just isn't working anymore, is it, Doc?"

Dr. Levy set his pen and paper on his desk and leaned toward Edward. His answering question was spot-on. "You want to tell me what's really bothering you, Edward?"

"My cousin and her unborn child almost died yesterday."

"Alice?" Dr. Levy was surprised.

"Yes, I just confirmed this morning that the brake line was cut on Bella's car. Alice borrowed it."

"Edward, I'm very sorry. Please give Jasper and Alice my best. I'll be sure to pass the news on to my wife. She loves Alice." Dr. Levy propped his elbows on his knees and steepled his hands. "And you have reason to believe that this is all somehow your fault. Am I correct?"

"Isn't it? I mean, the person who's doing this is really after me, but takes great delight in hurting the people I love." His voiced raised a few decibels. "And I don't have a fucking clue who it is!"

"You have a right to be frustrated, but you are not to blame. The blame rests squarely on the person who perpetrated these acts."

"But it's my job to take care of my family and Bella. I can't do that effectively, because I don't have any idea what's coming next. I should have checked the car out before Alice got into it yesterday, and I didn't." He held his face in his hands in abject misery.

"Even if you play every conceivable scenario over and over again in your head, there's no way you can account for every single possibility. You had no reason to believe anyone would tamper with the car, so test-driving it wouldn't have been in the forefront of your mind."

Dr. Levy waited until Edward scrubbed his face and looked at him again. "What was good about yesterday, Edward? What did you do right?"

"I tried to stop the car—and I did—but I had to brake too soon, and Alice rammed into me. And guess what? Trained policeman that I am, I moved her out of the car before the EMTs came. Bella was smart; she told me I should wait for the paramedics. But what did I do? I snapped her head off. And you know what she does? She goes to the hospital with Alice to make sure everything is all right, and then she comes back home to be with my sorry ass. Then Paul's brother shows up like he's got a bone to pick with me—and really he does. How's that for a great fucking day? Didn't do very much right, now did I, Doc?"

"You probably experienced a classic PTSD trigger. Your attempt to stop the car was right, and Bella forgave you because she knew you were under stress."

Edward nodded.

"As for Jared, from what you've told me, his mother considers you like a son. Do you think she could have said something that Jared might have misunderstood?"

Edward slowly shook his head. "I don't know. I'm meeting Jared on Monday morning. I hope I can get Mrs. Featherstone on the phone before then."

"I doubt after all this time, she'd suddenly change her mind about you. It doesn't sound like the woman you've described. Don't let a couple of isolated incidents undermine all the progress you've made. You've done such a good job of exorcising yourself of much of the guilt. Don't take it back, Edward. You let the demons win if you do."

Edward left Dr. Levy's office, even more determined than ever to find out who was making their lives a living hell. The drama with Jared was the least of his worries. Now he knew how criminals felt. It was damned uncomfortable going through life always looking over your shoulder. He didn't want to live like that anymore, and he damned sure didn't want his family or Bella to have to live in fear.

Resolving to redouble his efforts, Edward spent less and less time at the condo and more time carting files to her apartment, where he pored over them until the wee hours of the morning. When he wasn't being Bella's personal chauffeur, he was following up leads. He'd even dug up quite a bit of information on Jared Featherstone. When he'd finally meet with Jared, he would be ready to face him with no surprises.

~888~

Edward had hoped to enlist Alice's aid in making Bella's birthday special, but Jasper had just taken Alice home from the hospital on Friday and she was in for several weeks of recuperation before she could resume her daily activities. Esme and Elizabeth agreed to sit with her during the day while Jasper and Carlisle were at work. Edward also hired a couple of off-duty cops to patrol the neighborhood and keep watch on the house. He would not be taking unnecessary chances with the women in his family again.

No, a shopping spree was not possible for his entertainment-loving cousin in her present state, so Rosalie would have to suffice. Rose was a tough-as-nails cop, but underneath it she was all female. She and Bella were as thick as thieves now. She was thrilled to help with Bella's birthday party. Together, they decided to do a "friends" celebration on Sunday evening, rather than Monday, since the Center was now open full-time and Bella was in graduate school, not to mention Edward's sessions. Rosalie suggested they all get together on Sunday night at Shula's 347 Grill at the Hotel Duval, and then he and Bella could have a quiet dinner together on Monday at Chez Pierre, on her actual birthday. Edward was fine with that idea, and then they proceeded to work out the most important detail: What to get her for a present.

Even in the brief number of months they'd been together, he was convinced that Bella was it for him. A proposal would be the perfect birthday gift and he wanted to present her with a stunning engagement ring to seal the deal. He was pretty sure she wanted him the same way, but was it too soon to make his intentions known? He was just selfish enough to want forever with her even though he felt himself ill-equipped to make it a reality. Would their friends and family find it unthinkable that they would want to take this step so soon in their relationship?

When he'd returned to Florida, his mother had given him a box of jewelry that belonged to his great-grandmother. In that box was her wedding ring. His great-grandparents had been married fifty-five years, so hopefully it held a modicum of the marital success they'd enjoyed. It would be the perfect one to replace Bella's promise ring. He would take it to the jeweler's and have it cleaned, sized and possibly re-mounted in a more contemporary platinum setting.

He didn't feel comfortable discussing that with Rosalie, so together they decided that he would present Bella with twenty-three gifts. Beginning on Sunday, he would give her a small gift for every year of her life, and the twenty-third gift would be the biggest and grandest.

Armed with this knowledge, he had to somehow finagle some time away from Bella on Saturday to prepare. Rosalie agreed to take her for lunch and a movie on Saturday, while he shopped. She even suggested that he should call Angela to assist if he ran out of ideas, because she'd known Bella longer than any of them.

When Saturday rolled around, he found himself in Governor's Square Mall, trolling the stores and plucking Angela's brain for inspiration.

"So, what do we have so far?" Edward asked.

Angela held up her pad and read off the items they'd already checked off. "We have twelve gifts so far," she said with a wry smile.

"Wow, we've got a long way to go," he said, shifting the bags he was carrying into one hand and running his fingers through his hair.

Angela's eyes lit up. "I've got an idea. Why don't you let her first twelve gifts come from her friends, and you can concentrate on the final thirteen. There's six of us, so we can each pay for a couple of these, thereby freeing you to concentrate on the more personal gifts."

He was kind of disappointed at first—he'd been looking forward to being the one to give them to her—but then he decided that maybe Bella wouldn't balk at him buying her bigger things if their friends pitched in and bought half of the gifts.

A smile crept across his face. "That's actually a great idea, Angela. I wanted to take her to see Corinne Bailey Rae as one of her gifts, so I think this will be a great compromise. Then maybe she won't feel like I've gone totally overboard."

"She'll think that anyway," Angela said. "I swear, she is one of the hardest people to do something nice for."

"So she's always been like that? It's not just with me?"

"She's very much like Charlie in that respect. They're givers, but have a hard time receiving."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it."

Angela looked tentative, but then went ahead and said what she was thinking anyway.

"Rosalie mentioned that the smallest private room at Shula's seats sixteen people. Renee and Charlie wanted to do something for Bella's birthday but acquiesced when they found out we were already planning a get-together. We could invite the Swans, your mother, Jacob, Maria, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, and even Nana and Deacon Wilson. I know Jasper won't be there, because he wouldn't dream of coming without Alice, even though his parents are visiting with them this weekend."

Bella would love having family around, so Edward didn't hesitate. "If we're going to party, let's do it right. Anyway, I'll have her to myself at Chez Pierre on Monday."

Angela laughed. "You're worse than Ben. We see each other every day and spend an insane amount of time together, but it's almost never enough."

Edward laughed. "We're whipped men. What can we say?"

After they'd purchased the remaining items on the list, Angela left to meet Ben, and Edward went to the jewelry store alone to retrieve his final special gift.

~888~

Sunday night went off without a hitch. Edward was even able convince Bella that he was taking her out for a quiet dinner because Alice and Jasper wouldn't be available for them to do a proper celebration. When the hostess offered to escort them to their "table," Bella was telling Edward about the conversation she'd had with her mother after church in which she hadn't even mentioned her birthday.

"I don't know if she was preoccupied or what," Bella complained, "but you would think that since I am her _only_ child she would have said something, even if she only planned to get me a card or just say happy birthday."

Edward patted her hand that rested in the crook of his arm and made a show of being really sympathetic. "What do your parents usually do for your birthdays?"

"Despite the fact that I've always hated the attention, ever since I can remember they've had these lavish affairs that embarrass me for days on end with tons of guests and gifts, the sum total of which could probably feed all the children of a small developing country for seven days."

Edward stifled a grimace when she mentioned gifts. The small gifts he'd given her earlier in the day were selected because they held a special meaning. He was going to have to really sell her on the final two he'd be giving her tomorrow night. It didn't matter if one of them didn't cost him anything besides a good cleaning. He chose to distract her by changing up the topic just a bit.

"I'd like to have seen you at one of these parties when you were a pre-teen."

She smirked. "Oh, yeah? I'd like to have heard you explain to Charlie why you were hanging around his very young daughter back then."

Grinning mischievously, he stopped to give the hostess a chance to alert everyone that they were coming, and pulled Bella into his arms. "Right. I keep forgetting a five year age difference wouldn't have been appropriate back then." He figured he would distract her with a kiss. She was a willing recipient, and as always, her kiss got the standard reaction from him.

The hostess addressed them, and they embarrassedly broke away from each other. "Right this way," she said with a smile, stepping aside and allowing them to walk in front of her into the Coach's Den.

As Bella entered the room everyone yelled, "Surprise!" Bella was rooted to the spot, completely stunned, and Edward watched as her face registered shock, surprise, a face-splitting smile, and then tears of joy. She turned into Edward's arms, pummeling his chest playfully.

"You knew all along! How did you—?"

"Skills," he said simply and leaned down to brush her lips with his. "Happy Birthday, baby."

Then everyone was up greeting the birthday girl, and Edward stood off to the side to chat with Emmett, who had given Bella his characteristic "sweep 'em off their feet" hug. Edward might have been jealous if it were anyone other than Emmett.

The surprise guest of the evening was none other than James Hall, in the flesh. He approached Bella sheepishly, and Edward involuntarily moved closer to her, silently staking his claim.

"James!" Bella exclaimed happily. "Fancy seeing you here."

James looked to Edward, who gave a brief nod, before he leaned in and gave Bella a friendly hug.

"Happy Birthday, Bella. Your parents had lunch with mine today and insisted that I come along tonight," he explained. "It's good to see you."

Bella held both his hands, looked into James' eyes, and whispered so only the three of them could hear, "You look great. Your hiatus was just what the doctor ordered."

"Yeah, it was necessary." James released her hands and scratched nervously behind his ear. "I'd like to make good on my promise to have you over to sing in a couple of weeks. Dad's doing a series and wants you to sing your specialty hymn."

"_His Eye Is On The Sparrow_?"

"Yeah, that's the one." He grinned. "No one does it like you."

"You can count on me," Bella said with an answering smile. "Shoot me an email with the particulars."

"Will do," James said. He then nodded at Edward with a warm smile, just before he turned to take his seat next to Maria. "Cullen."

Edward's response was just as brief but equally warm. "Hall."

When James was out of earshot, Bella smiled up at Edward. "See? I knew you guys would be friends one day."

Edward made a show of rolling his eyes playfully, and they took their seats.

Angela and Rosalie had filled the room to capacity and smartly decorated it with flowers, balloons and streamers. There was also a respectable pile of gifts in the corner, just waiting to make Bella's night. She was radiant as they enjoyed a delicious steak dinner with all their closest friends and family, except for the glaring exception of Alice and Jasper. After the meal, Edward delivered her gifts to the table, and surprisingly, she didn't complain once.

After the cake was cut and eaten, they began to disperse. The elders left first, leaving only the younger couples and James and Maria, who had enjoyed a lively conversation during the party, Edward noticed.

Emmett, who never wanted the party to end, had a suggestion. "We should take this party upstairs to Level 8, guys."

"Yeah," Ben seconded, hugging an agreeable Angela to his side.

"The view is awesome," Rosalie said, "and I could stand to dance away a few calories."

Edward looked to Bella and she nodded vigorously. "We really haven't partied until we've danced."

"It's still your party." Edward stood and took Bella's hand, helping her up and into his arms. "Let's dance."

They made ready to leave.

Bella called to James and Maria, "Are you guys game for some dancing?"

James shrugged, and Maria smiled and said, "Sure."

Emmett helped Rosalie pack up all the decorations, and Edward and Bella packed her gifts.

"Emmett and I will take this stuff out to the car," Edward said. "Stay close to Rosalie. She's packing heat."

"Nothing I don't already know," Bella said sarcastically.

~888~

Edward left the condo early on Monday morning after making Bella a birthday breakfast. It probably would have been wiser to stay over at her apartment, but after the dinner party and then dancing until after midnight, they had both been rather tired—but never too tired to make out, of course. Bella had been very anxious to get naked and horizontal. It was becoming increasingly difficult to stop before the point of no return, but they were still able to manage it. She had undressed him in record time, and after he'd removed her white birthday dress, they'd spent another hour giving each other orgasms without intercourse.

If she said yes to his proposal, he would definitely opt for a short engagement. He wanted to make love to her properly. She understood him like no one else, loved him like no one else, and was his ideal in every way.

Only one hurdle was left to cross in his therapy and once that was accomplished, it would affirm him as a man honorable enough to have her as his bride. Once he overcame his issues with his father, he could be a good husband and father. He couldn't wait to have conversations with Bella as her fiancé. They would finally be able to talk about children and finances and future career goals without any fear.

Edward arrived at the Starbucks with ten minutes to spare. He really wished he'd been able to reach Mrs. Featherstone before the meeting, but repeated calls told him she must still be out of town. Despite the sense of foreboding that dogged him, he was trying to keep positive, and thinking about Bella was the most positive he could get. He remembered how beautiful she looked when he'd left her, wearing the red satin night shirt she'd slept in after they'd shared a quick shower together the night before. She had been sated physically and emotionally, and was all set to have a wonderful birthday.

He was determined to stay upbeat, even if Jared decided to deck him. He certainly had sounded hostile enough to try. He'd found a couple of simple assault charges against Jared that gave him a clue that he might be predisposed to violence if generally pissed off, provoked, or he perceived a threat. Both assaults had occurred in the year after Paul's death, so it was understandable that he might have acted out then. They were also situations in which he was able to successfully make counter charges against the persons with whom he'd had the altercations. Both parties had pled no contest. Other than that, he only had a couple of parking tickets and one speeding ticket on his record.

Edward ordered a coffee and sat near a window. To pass the time, he texted Bella, wished her happy birthday again, and told her that he loved her. A few minutes later, he saw Jared making his way through the door. He was dressed in a khaki suit and a crisp white shirt. He looked so much like Paul that Edward's throat constricted, but he pulled himself together and stood as Jared approached, extending him a hand to shake.

Jared ignored the hand as his eyes swept Edward's frame in disgust.

"It figures that you'd be a cop," he said with a sneer.

Edward was not apologetic. "Meaning?"

"Most military types don't know what to do with all that aggression they bring back from war."

Edward sat back down and took the last drink of his coffee. "Have a seat, Jared. Why don't you tell me what this is all about?"

Jared sat, and pulled an envelope out of the inside pocket of his suit coat. He placed it on the table and slid it toward Edward. "I believe this is yours."

Regarding him warily, Edward picked up the envelope, opened the flap, and pulled out a six-figure cashier's check. Now what the fuck was he gonna do with all that money? Garrett, his tax advisor, was going to have a freaking cow, but that was the least of his worries. His heart felt like it had floated up and lodged in his throat. "Why are you doing this? Paul and I promised to take care of the other's family if something happened to either of us. I gave this to you and your mother in good faith, honoring that promise. Does she even know you're here?"

"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you, Cullen. We're done taking your blood money. Any further funds wired to our account will be returned to you."

Edward flinched when he said "blood money." He couldn't believe this angry man was the kid brother on whom Paul had doted. Jared had become a bitter young man.

Edward had known all along that providing the stipend was the least he could do for Mrs. Featherstone, given that Paul had not come home to take care of her and Jared as he'd planned.

"Returning this won't bring Paul back any more than my gifting it to you did. You dishonor his name by doing this," Edward said. He thought it was worth a try to appeal to him the way Paul might have if he were in this situation.

"You're right about that, Cullen. For some reason beyond my comprehension, my brother thought you were worth giving his life. If you wanted to gift us anything, you should have traded places with my brother."

"Paul was a man of faith. You know that. He lived John 15:13. What do you live, Jared?"

"I live the code of taking care of a mother whose eldest son was lost to her when he saved the life of a liquor heir who should never have been in the Marines in the first place. You probably shouldn't even be in that cop's uniform. Why do you rich white boys always believe you've got to be some poor minority's savior? I saw that piece of ass you date at the community center. Still slumming in the ghetto—"

Edward lunged at Jared and they tumbled to the floor, wrestling. _Nobody insulted his Bella._ The few patrons in the Starbucks scattered. One of the Baristas screamed. They were evenly matched and scrambled around on the floor, frantically trying to one-up each other. Finally, Edward pinned Jared down. He raised his fist and would have hit him square in the face, but then he remembered this was Paul's brother.

He pushed off of Jared and stood up. Jared came up swinging and hit him square on the jaw with a right hook. Edward took the punch and didn't budge an inch.

"That one was free. But if you feel the need to hit me again, I'll haul your ass in for assault on a law enforcement officer." The least he could do in honor of Paul was to let his brother blow off some steam.

The manager came rushing over to them. "Do you need me to call for backup, Officer?"

Edward held his hand up. "No, not at all. Sorry for the trouble."

"I guess we're done here," Jared said in a clipped tone as he turned to leave.

Then he thought about it. Jared knew about Bella. How would he know about her if he hadn't been stalking them?

"Not by a long shot," Edward said as he rammed into Jared and pushed him against the wall. He had him in handcuffs before he could blink.

"I'm running you in," Edward declared. "You've got some questions to answer."

~888~

**E/N: John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (KJV)**

**Edward's Great-Grandmother's Ring:**

A gorgeous cushion-cut diamond engagement ring with micropave diamonds set in platinum **(picture on profile).**

The Video for Alicia Keyes **"Unthinkable"** is so hot! She in a star-crossed love relationship with none other than Chad Michael Murray of "One Tree Hill" fame. I think of Copward and Bella every time I see that video. hahaha

***Unthinkable (Excerpt)**

**by Alicia Keyes**

I know you have said to me  
"This is exactly how it should feel when it's meant to be"  
Time is only wasting so why wait for eventually  
If we gonna do something about it  
We should do it right now

You give me a feeling that I never felt before  
And I deserve it, I think I deserve it

It's becoming something that's impossible to ignore  
And I can't take it  
I was wondering maybe  
Could I make you my baby  
If we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy  
If you ask me I'm ready  
If you ask me I'm ready

Why give up before we try  
Feel the lows before the highs  
Clip our wings before we fly away  
I can't say I came prepared  
I'm suspended in the air  
Won't you come be in the sky with me


	31. Ch 30 TLC: That's How Strong My Love Is

**A/N: These ladies make TLC the absolute best it can be: Charmie77, acireamos, SSHG316, SavageWoman and Irritable Grizzzly. I would probably look very foolish if it weren't for the expertise each of them brings to making this story awesome.**

**This is the second part of chapter 29, which became a chapter of its own. Therefore, readers, you get a bonus chapter :)**

**THAT'S HOW STRONG MY LOVE IS (Excerpt)**

by Alicia Keys

I'll be the water you need  
in the desert land  
Just to let you know you'll always have my hand  
I'll be the woman you need to be a better man  
So you'll always know

Through the shake of an earthquake  
I will never fall  
That's how strong my love is  
Like a ship through the storm  
we can risk it all  
That's how strong my love is

"_**Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. Love still stands when all else has fallen." - Anonymous**_

"_**Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for **__**love**__**is**__** as **__**strong**__** as death, its ardor unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame." –Solomon 8:6**_

**Chapter 30 – TLC – That's How Strong My Love Is  
**

Edward was livid. He'd just spent an hour and forty-five minutes interrogating Jared Featherstone, Had it not been for Chief Black, Edward might have beaten him within an inch of his life; he was so damned infuriating. He wondered how Jared could be so different from Paul and his mother, Reisa. Jared delighted in pushing his buttons and had done so until they'd grown weary of his bullshit. Then he'd lawyered-up and was sprung shortly after noon.

Much as Edward suspected, Jared possessed just enough information to make him a person of interest, but there wasn't enough evidence to hold him. He had convenient alibis for each incident that involved direct or indirect contact with the stalkers. Edward wasn't convinced that Jared hadn't been nosing around in his life for the last several weeks. He would keep him on the suspect list until either the perpetrators were found, or he uncovered enough evidence or lack thereof to clear him.

Under the guise of needing it to corroborate some of his alibis, Captain Black had finagled a phone number from Jared where Reisa was staying with her sister in South Carolina. Edward was relieved that he would be able to call her now.

Rosalie had graciously agreed to pick Bella up for work and had taken his shift at the Center. Bella and staff were deep in the throes of the afterschool program when he arrived on the campus. She looked stunning in a burgandy sleeveless suit, the narrow skirt accentuating her curves. When he spotted her, she effectively pushed all thoughts of Jared out of his head and he assumed his Taps trick, so he wouldn't scare the children and embarrass his girlfriend when he went inside.

Bella and about eighty other pairs of eyes looked up as he entered the common room. It was as if she could sense the tension in him. Her eyes inquired, but then she smiled and nodded toward her office as she finished up. While waiting for her, he radioed Rosalie that he was on-site so she could return to her regular beat, but she wasn't having any of it. She called him on her cell.

"It's my girl's birthday, Cullen. Over my dead body will you be staying here until seven tonight. I'll sweep the perimeter until you take over, then I'll go across town until fourteen-hundred hours. I expect to see your happy ass leaving here when Bella's shift ends, _capisce_?"

"Actually, it's good you're willing to do that for us. Our reservation is at seven-thirty and we would have been cutting it way close. Thanks, Rosalie."

Bella came into her office and closed the door as he was hanging up. She cut to the chase. "Any earth-shattering revelations from Jared?"

She moved within a few inches of him and looked up into his eyes expectantly. With a sigh, he took her into his arms. "He enjoyed toying with us, and at first glance, it looks like he has alibis. Only good thing that came of this was securing a phone number for his mother."

"I think she'll be able to shed a lot of light on this situation." Bella squeezed him and laid her head on his chest. "This will come to an end soon. I can feel it."

An uncharacteristic wave of fear gripped him. "I certainly hope you're right, baby."

~888~

They didn't have live music on Mondays at Chez, but Edward was pleased with the soft mood music flowing through the speakers. While he watched Bella eating her duck roquette, he recalled giving her gift number twenty-one while they were at the Center. It was from his mother.

Elizabeth Masen Cullen had provided a scholarship fund to the Center for twenty-three years. Each year, one lucky child from the Center would receive a twenty-three-hundred dollar scholarship from the Paul Featherstone Memorial Scholarship fund until the fund was exhausted. Bella had been just as emotional about the gift as he'd been when his mother had broached the subject. When tears of joy ran down her cheeks, the children comforted her. It had been a very poignant scene.

Gift number twenty-two he'd given her after they'd taken a nap and just before they'd dressed to come to the restaurant. It was a Kindle with a gift certificate for twenty-three pre-paid books. She'd been ecstatic, given her love of literature.

"Do you know how many books I can carry around while I'm on vacation, now? I'm always torn about which ones to take. This will make it so easy." She threw her arms around him. "Thanks, sweetheart. You know me so well."

Edward's heart and head swelled to ginormous proportions. He might just pull this off, after all. He would present her with the Corinne Bailey Rae concert tickets over dinner and then when they returned to the condo after dinner, he had a tiny cake for two, a bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge, and his great-grandmother's ring cleaned, sized and waiting; ready to go on the fourth finger of Bella's left hand.

He was enjoying a lamb tarragon pasta, and smiling like the cat that ate the canary, when Bella looked up from her salad. "What are you thinking about?" she asked, taking a sip of wine.

"Oh, just how beautiful you look tonight," he lied smoothly, and then defaulted with a tease. "I think I like this silver number even better than your white ballerina dress last night."

"That was not a ballerina dress," she protested. "You men are hopeless when it comes to women's fashions."

"Yeah, our job is to enjoy it while you're wearing them, and pray that we're lucky enough to take them off at the end of the day."

"You kinky, kinky boy," she whispered with a sexy grin.

He leaned into her and whispered back, "Ms. Swan, you have barely seen a fraction of the depth of my kinkiness. The things I'd love to do with you, and to you, someday."

"Is that a promise?" she challenged.

His virginal preacher's daughter never ceased to amaze him. "You are a depraved man's dream come true. And yes, I promise to follow through when you make an honest man of me."

"I'll be happy to make an honest man of you since you've been so thoroughly re-virginized."

"Re-virginized?"

"Yeah, you've been dating a woman with a vow of abstinence, and helping her to keep that vow. Your virtue has been restored."

"Okay..."

"And I want to be your first."

He did a double-take, but recovered swiftly. "That will depend entirely on how you take the final two gifts I'm going to give you tonight," he said. "In fact, in order to ensure your compliance, please raise your right hand and repeat after me, Ms. Swan."

She played along and did as she was told.

"I promise," he prompted.

She repeated, "I promise."

"To accept the final two gifts for my birthday from my very handsome and sexy boyfriend."

She laughed loudly before she could catch herself.

"That is not what I just said. Come on, get to repeating, Swan."

She stifled her laughter. "To accept the final two gifts for my birthday from my very handsome and sexy boyfriend."

"Without whining, complaining, or resisting them in any way."

She gasped. "I do not whine! I might complain-and resist."

He raised an eyebrow and she capitulated and mumbled the words. "Without whining, complaining, or resisting them in any way."

"And I will reward him with my lips and hand, accordingly."

"You have a dirty mind, Officer Cullen. Does your Captain know this about you?"

"I can assure you that there is nothing, and I repeat nothing, even remotely dirty about what I have planned for you later, Ms. Swan."

He tried to convey how much he loved her with his eyes and she must have believed him, because she repeated the final words, and leaned in for a kiss. She tasted of duck, salad greens, vinaigrette, and Pinot Noir. Absolutely delicious.

~888~

Edward quickly set out the cake and champagne on the breakfast bar while Bella was freshening up, and the ring was now in his pocket. He put on the Sia CD on that she'd returned with on Saturday. She and Rosalie had gone to what used to be the dollar theater on Sharer Road. Afterward they had gone and bought the album, because they'd heard the song in the movie, _Eclipse_. Since Saturday, Sia was growing on him, he supposed.

Within the hour, Bella could very well be his fiancée. He became lightheaded with anticipation, or was it nervousness? He had to sit down. When Bella entered the room, having kicked off her heels, but still wearing what he had dubbed her silver "fuck me" dress, his slacks tightened considerably. She would be the death of him before he could even ask for her hand in marriage.

Taking a running start, she leapt into his lap. He caught her to soften the impact, but when her tush connected with his package, he grunted. "Oomph!"

She wound her arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses, punctuating almost every word with a kiss. "You." Smack. "Have made." Smack. "This." Smack. "My best." Smack. "Birthday." Smack. "Ever!" Smack. Smack. Smack. Her final kiss was on his lips and she used her tongue to deftly part his lips. He groaned, her forwardness making him so hard he was in physical pain.

The dress made her slippery as an eel in his arms, but he held onto her, careful not to let her fall. They kissed so deeply it was as if they might devour each other. Bella emerged for air and his lips went immediately to her throat, and down along her collarbone. She moaned and wriggled, sending frissons of pleasure through him that made him so greedy for her he couldn't do the formalities first. Champagne and cake would have to wait.

He stood, hoisting her onto his waist, her legs clamping around him as the tiny dress rode up her thighs. Their mouths connected again like magnets. He opened his eyes, so he could maneuver through the room without running into the furniture and carried her, cupping her bottom to keep her from falling.

Despite his limited visibility, they made it into the bedroom without incident, and he deposited her on the bed. She raised herself to her knees and, not taking her eyes off him, wriggled out of the dress, pulling it high over her head and tossing it to the floor. He was out of his shoes and shirt quickly and was unbuckling his belt. Clad only in a grey lacy bra and panty set, she walked on her knees to the edge of the bed and reached for his belt, pulling him toward her. He had unbuttoned and unzipped by the time she got into the waistband of his pants and pulled them down. His boxers were tented and he ached to be inside her. As if she could read his mind, she forced his boxers down and leaned over so that her mouth was on him and she began working her magic. She licked and sucked until she worked him into a frenzy.

She did this amazing tongue swirl with an immediate strong sucking draw that made him weak in the knees. Grabbing the headboard with one hand, he steadied himself while she continued her assault on his manhood. The tightness that usually preceded his release attested to the impending mind-blowing orgasm he was about to have. He continued caressing her shoulders and massaging the feminine musculature of her upper back. This was by far the most intense blowjob she'd ever given him and she seemed hell-bent on making him remember it.

He grabbed a handful of tissues off the nightstand, when she took another strong draw, but he was stronger and pulled away, burying his tip into the tissues as he experienced the most powerful explosion since they'd been enjoying their orgasms. She let him go and collapsed on the bed, struggling to hide her disappointment, but he could see it there in her eyes through the self-satisfied smile she flashed at him, and the pout that she couldn't disguise. He still couldn't bring himself to come in her mouth, even though she'd insisted on more than one occasion that she wanted to try. Discarding the tissues, he slid in bed beside her and pulled her into his arms.

"Bella, baby, please try to understand."

"Understand what, Edward? That you still think I'm too good for you?" Her nostrils flared angrily.

"You're special to me—and yes, probably a better person than I'll ever be."

"No, I'm not. I am a real woman with the same feelings and desires as any other woman. I just happen to practice a faith that eschews pre-marital intercourse. If I choose to perform fellatio on my boyfriend, shouldn't he be happy that I want to try to swallow his manly essence?"

She was so adorable, considering what she was angry about, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "You say everything so properly. Fellatio. Manly Essence. It's blow job and jizz, Bella."

After a few seconds, she laughed, too. "I don't know. It just sounds better and more romantic when you say the proper terms—to me."

"Which is why I know you won't like swallowing," he said softly. "You're a lady, through and through. You are exactly who Charlie and Renee raised you to be. I don't want to try to change that."

"I thought guys liked girls to swallow because they think it's hot."

"That may be true for some, but swallowing won't add or take anything away from the experience for me."

"Really?"

"Really." He moved over her, caging her body between his arms. "Now on the other hand, I love tasting you when you come." She giggled and he nuzzled her neck, and then worked his way down her torso. He cupped her breasts and even through the lacy bra, he could feel her nipples go rigid. He began a circular caressing motion, which elicited a stifled moan.

His hands went under her back to unhook her bra, and she rose up from the bed. Letting it slip down, she pulled her arms through and then tossed it aside. Edward ducked his head and took one of her rosy nipples and warm brown areola into his mouth. As he suckled her breasts, he reached down and hooked his fingers through her panties, dragging them down her legs, his mouth following and licking a trail from her breasts to the insteps of both feet. Bella's moans almost rivaled Sia's as the music swirled around them.

Moving back up from her feet, he gently parted her legs and buried his face in her. Bella shuddered as he used his lips and tongue to begin teasing her most sensitive flesh. He caressed her from her hips up her sides, and found her breasts again, as he stroked them with his fingers while tasting the sweet delicacy that was her arousal. He licked and sucked until she was arching her back rhythmically with every thrust of his tongue.

"Oh, Edwaaaaarrd," she moaned and fisted her hands in his hair, holding his head as if she was afraid he would stop if she let go. He grinned and concentrating on her clitoris, he began to stimulate it horizontally rather than vertically. When he placed his fingers just below her entrance, he could feel when she was ready to have an orgasm. She was perilously close, so he quickened his pace with his tongue while simultaneously stroking her nipples with one hand, a thumb on one nipple and his pinky on the other. He felt her tighten, and suddenly she convulsed and screamed his name, lost in her own pleasure. He smiled, then slid up and took her breasts, first one and then the other, in his mouth and sucked as they rode out her orgasm together.

"Happy Birthday, baby," he murmured against her lips and then kissed her tenderly. He gathered her into his arms to cuddle until they both felt ready to continue their celebration, but Bella had other ideas. When she began kissing him again, he responded, unable to resist. It was as if their bodies were primed and on autopilot. He didn't grow alarmed until their kisses once again became passionate to the point of pain, and the hard proof of his desire pressed insistently against her abdomen. Bella shifted in his arms, and his manhood slipped of its own volition to where it naturally wanted to be, throbbing there painfully. With one thrust, they would be one, but this time neither of them was pulling away. Usually, one of them was levelheaded enough in times like this to stop, but it was as if they were both lost in a wave of desire that demanded to be quenched.

Although he was literally aching to be inside her, he knew that she would regret it immediately afterward, and as a result, he would too, and then there would be no undoing it. With a stifled groan, he dragged his lips away from hers. "Bella, we have to stop—if we give in to this temporary weakness, you'll regret it."

Cupping his face in her hands, she shook her head. "No, I've never felt anything so right in my whole life. I want you to make love to me, Edward."

A spasm of longing lurched inside him. He was flabbergasted. Bella had just said what he would have given anything to hear from her when he was the _old_ Edward. However, now that he had changed so much, it was just the opposite. Especially now, when he wanted to ask her to marry him. They could honor her commitment a few more short months until they were married, couldn't they? As much as he wanted to cave and accept all that she was offering, he couldn't allow her to get this close and not keep her vow.

"Bella, there is nothing I want to do more than make love to you, right now. Hell, I've wanted to since the moment we first met, but since we've been together and I understand the depth of the commitment you made and why, I just couldn't..."

"I waited for the one, and you're it. I'll have no regrets tomorrow, except maybe losing this opportunity tonight. It's my gift to you, because I know we're committed to one another."

She kissed him then with a ferocity that zapped all rational thought from his mind and they were lost. It was as if the room began to swirl around them and he feared he was dangerously close to forgetting everything, including his name. Until those soft hot lips had touched his, he hadn't understood the depth of the raging desire that had been concealed behind her normally prim exterior. He kissed her again, and their breathing was like panting as they gorged themselves on their kisses. Finally, it was going to happen. After all the months of steel control, he clearly couldn't resist now. He lifted one of her legs and hitched it around his hip. Then with anxious fingers, he touched her between her legs and found that she was ready.

Bella had given him total control of her body, and he struggled to grasp the enormity of what was about to happen, but it was too much. He felt as if he might explode and fall apart if he had to stop now. Hearing himself make noises that no other had ever elicited in him, he was fighting the urge to fall, but she was making it almost impossible for him to catch himself. He'd had sex, and a lot of it, in the past, but this would be different. He would truly be making love to a woman for the first time—a woman who would be giving him the most precious gift he could ever receive. Somehow, in such a short time, he'd fallen deeply in love with this complex and beautiful woman. She had to love him that same way too, if she was willing to break her vow.

Suddenly, he pulled away and instantly felt chilled. "Wait," he whispered raggedly, forcing the word out of his mouth. For a moment, Bella looked crestfallen, but gorgeous nonetheless. He quickly reassured her with one word. "Protection."

"Oh," she said, coloring deeply with embarrassment.

He kissed her blush away and sat up to forage in the nightstand for a condom. He found a box, which was mysteriously light and when he opened it, as he suspected it, was empty. He held the box aloft and didn't recognize his voice when he gave her the news. "I suppose making love tonight is a no-go, baby."

"Not necessarily," she urged. "The CVS on North Monroe is open twenty-four hours." She looked furtively at the clock on the nightstand.

Edward hesitated. Maybe this was fate telling them this was a bad idea. Bella rose up on her knees and wound her arms around him from behind. He felt her nipples grazing against his back and he hardened infinitesimally. He did want her—badly. However, he didn't want her to be plagued by the nagging regret of breaking a promise she had made to God.

He exhaled and uttered a sentence that didn't agree with his libido. "This is a mistake, Bella. This is a decision we need to make soberly, not in the heat of passion. Your vow is too important to break without giving it some serious thought."

"But..."

He turned to face her. "I love you so much. I don't think I could take it if you were disappointed in me, or yourself, and wound up regretful after we did this. I would never forgive myself for allowing you to succumb to a moment's passion and lose something you've been saving for a very special man and special day in your life. Of course, I want that man to be me, but I guess my point is: we have time."

As he uttered those last words, the look in her eyes morphed into understanding, and hot tears coursed down her cheeks. He felt like a cad as he took her into his arms.

"Baby," he soothed, "what's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I should have had more willpower than that."

He cupped her face in his hands and swept her tears away with his thumbs. "It's okay. We're supposed to bear one another's burdens, right? When you're weak, I'm strong, and when I'm weak, you're strong for me."

"And I'm supposed to be the person of faith in this relationship? Looks like you've been paying attention at City of Hope. I'm glad, or you'd be on your way to CVS right now."

"No, I think you would have come to your senses before I was out the door, but I figured we'd save some time if I talked you down. Besides I have another gift for you."

She dragged a hand across her face, wiping away the last of the errant tears and sniffed appreciatively. "Oh baby, you've given me so much already. You really should take it back."

He hedged. "I don't know. I really didn't pay anything for this one and I think you'll really like it."

"Really?"

"Yes," he said soberly. "Now wash your pretty face and join me in the kitchen for cake, champagne and your final gift."

~888~

Edward lounged at the bar in the kitchen drinking a double-shot of scotch. Considering what just almost happed between them, he needed a stiff drink. He wasn't sure if he was being noble or if he'd been a fucking idiot to turn her down. As he thought about it, though, he came to the realization that it was because he loved her more than life itself, and that meant protecting her even from herself when he needed to.

Now it was time to pop the question that he'd been holding in all day.

He ran his hand over the ring box in his pocket and grinned. He couldn't wait to see it on her finger. She would be his fiancée within a few minutes. After he heard the shower go on in the master bath, he knew she would be a while, so he took his time icing the champagne again. Once that was done, he plopped into a seat at the bar enjoying his Glenlivet, and waited rather impatiently for her to emerge. He thought fleetingly about joining her, but their showers together usually turned into extended make-out sessions that were so hot and slippery, he found it difficult not to just slide into her and take her against the shower tiles.

He was lost in his ruminations when the intercom buzzed. It was the night door attendant. Edward answered in a jovial mood. He was so excited about what was about to transpire, he wasn't upset about the lateness of the call.

"Officer Cullen, Ms. Swan's father is down here. He has a rather urgent matter he must speak with her about. May I send him up?"

Edward felt like a fucking deer in headlights, but what could he do now except be a man and face Rev. Swan despite how things might look. He hesitated only a millisecond. "Um yeah, go ahead and send him up."

He had less than a minute or two before Charlie would be knocking on the door. Thankfully, he'd slipped his pants back on, but nothing else. He sprinted into the master bedroom to grab a shirt. Bella was still in the bathroom. He knocked, but the water was still running and there was music playing.

Edward had barely stepped into the closet, dragged his shirt back on and sprinted back out to be ready to receive Rev. Swan when the doorbell rang. He couldn't imagine what had brought him to the condo tonight of all nights. He doubted that Charlie was paying a visit to wish her happy birthday again before the time expired.

He was a few feet away from the door when the bell rang again, so he opened the door quickly. There stood Charlie with an unreadable expression on his face; Edward gathered underneath was part surprise and part disappointment, or something similar.

"Rev. Swan," Edward said smoothly in greeting. He'd be damned if he was backing down from the Reverend tonight. He and Bella were not horny teens caught doing something they shouldn't be.

"Edward," He replied tightly. Charlie seemed to be noting his casual state of dress, the absence of his shoes, and his wrinkled, half-buttoned shirt.

Edward flushed involuntarily and stood aside to allow him to enter, ushered him over to the living room and gestured toward the sofa.

"Please have a seat. Bella should be out in a few minutes."

"Had she already gone to bed for the evening?" Charlie asked as he sat down.

Edward hesitated. How should he answer that question? If he said no, Charlie might wonder what was taking her so long to come out; and if he said yes, he'd assume they had retired for the night together.

"Um, no, actually she's changing. After we got back from the restaurant for her birthday dinner, I wanted to cap off the evening with some cake and champagne." Then he figured the hell with it. He should let her father know his intentions were honorable, albeit not entirely. He pulled the little black box out of his pocket, flipped it open, and shoved it unceremoniously in Charlie's face. "And this."

A muscle in Charlie's jaw twitched. He looked at the ring and back up at Edward. "So, what you're saying is, you were going to ask for my daughter's hand in marriage without so much as a nod in my direction?"

"I didn't know that convention was still practiced," Edward said, his smirk exhibiting his renewed confidence.

Edward opened his mouth to say something else, but then Bella breezed in clad only in a short red negligee with a tiny matching robe, courtesy of her last trip to Victoria's Secret with Rosalie. Edward felt like he might swallow his Adam's apple, and Charlie's face turned almost purple.

"Dad?" She closed her eyes and swallowed convulsively, then pulled the robe closed. She kept her eyes trained on her Dad, seeking to gauge his expression and didn't notice him quickly flipping the jewelry box closed and depositing it back into his pocket.

Her face was devoid of makeup. All she wore was a bit of lip-gloss and she looked uncannily like she could be in high school again.

She spoke to her father again, this time her voice was unusually high. "Dad! What brings you here this time of night? Is everything all right? Mom and Nana are okay, right?"

Edward could tell Rev. Swan was trying to keep his temper in check. He wished he could read minds, because he desperately wanted to know what his holiness was really thinking. Charlie stood up as Bella entered the room and addressed his daughter. "Hey, baby girl. I didn't mean to interrupt, the uh, celebration for your birthday and all. Everything is fine now. We—your mother and I thought you should hear this from one of us personally. Your Nana is in the hospital over at Capital Regional Medical Center."

"Why?" Bella clutched her Dad's arms as he tried to keep his voice, and her, calm.

"She had an angina attack, apparently. She and Ira were together at her home about and an hour and a half ago when it happened."

Edward and Bella looked knowingly at one another.

"So, Deacon Wilson acted quickly on her behalf. That's good, huh?" Bella nodded as if to encourage Charlie this was exactly how it was.

"Yes. He thought she was having a heart attack, but it wasn't that severe."

"So she's going to be fine, then?"

"Yeah, they're keeping her overnight for some tests, but the doctor was almost certain it was just a garden-variety angina attack."

"I'll go change. We should go over there," Bella said, looking anxiously at Edward. He started toward the hallway to retrieve his shoes and keys, but Charlie held Bella fast.

"Actually, Ira's staying there with her overnight and I dropped your mom off at home before I came over. She was a bit put-out that your Nana chose the Deacon to stay, but was actually secretly relieved. She's got an early day in court tomorrow and needed to make some preparations."

"Oh," was all Bella said. Then she seemed to realize that she hadn't played the gracious hostess. "Would you like some cake?"

Charlie, playing the part of the gracious guest, refused. "No, thanks. I'm going straight to bed when I get home, so it probably wouldn't be a good idea for my sensitive stomach." He moved to the door, Bella and Edward on his heels. "I should be getting along, then."

When he was a few feet from the door, he turned to seek out Edward's eyes over Bella's head. "Edward, why don't you walk me out? I parked down the street again. You can never be too careful this late downtown."

Bella giggled nervously. "The ex-cop being protected by the current cop. You guys are hysterical."

From the look he gave him, Edward knew Charlie had something he wanted to get off his chest and the liquid courage swirling through his system wouldn't allow him to be nervous about it, either. "I'll get my shoes—and my gun," Edward said pointedly, and disappeared down the hallway.

~888~

Edward kissed Bella on the cheek and dutifully followed Charlie out to the elevator. Charlie was about an inch shorter than Edward was and he sort of reveled in having that small advantage. He figured the Reverend wanted to chastise him about being at the condo with Bella in a state of near-undress and all that it implied. They entered the elevator without a word and stationed themselves on opposite sides of the car. At first, Charlie just studied him. Edward was just beginning to get uncomfortable, when he spoke.

"Edward, I'm sure you know I had a hard time accepting the way you came into my daughter's life and stole a part of that light that she once only had for me, and I believe I'm finally comfortable with that idea because I know how much you care for Bella."

Edward nodded solemnly, his eyes never leaving Charlie's.

"I just want to share a personal story with you, if I may, because I don't want the two of you to make the same mistakes her mother and I did."

"Okay," Edward agreed. "Why don't we talk in the lobby? It's most likely deserted now."

"Yeah, it was pretty empty when I came up." Charlie cleared his throat nervously, and stroked one end of his mustache. He often did that when he was deep in thought.

They were quiet once again when the elevator came to a halt and they got out. George, the night doorman piped up when he saw Edward come out of the elevator with Charlie.

"I apologize, Officer Cullen. I don't know how I missed this when you came in earlier, but I have a piece of mail for Ms. Swan."

"Mail?" Edward was curious, and walked over to retrieve it. It was a non-descript-looking business-sized letter with just Bella's name typed neatly across the front. Edward took it by its edges and examined it.

"Do you by chance know who might have delivered this?"

"A rather androgynous-looking fellow in a baseball cap; average height, with a slight build. He was painfully shy, but said it was a special delivery for Ms. Swan," George said.

"Thanks." Edward took the letter and walked with Charlie into the Lobby.

"Is it suspicious that someone would leave mail for Bella here?" Charlie asked as he sat in an armchair.

Edward sat on the sofa and laid the envelope carefully on the table in front of them. "Yeah, it's concerning. We purposely left her mail going to her apartment in hopes that no one would trace her here."

Charlie grunted. "Huh."

"Well, looks like someone knows she's here now," Edward said, stating the obvious.

"Maybe it's a birthday thing," Charlie said hopefully.

"We'll see," Edward said determinedly. "I'll take it back up when we're done."

"Aren't you gonna look in that thing first—make sure it's safe?"

"You don't think Bella would be mad about that, do you? I'm trying to get her to marry me, Rev. Swan. I don't want her pissed at me tonight for opening a seemingly-innocuous piece of mail."

"She'll get over it. I say we open that sucker," Charlie insisted.

"Okay, but not until you tell me what you wanted to talk to me about."

"Fair enough." Charlie sat back nervously in his chair and began. "Edward, I resisted acceptance of yours and Bella's relationship in the beginning because I was in denial that she had finally found in you what her mother and I found in each other. Both you and she have convinced me otherwise, and considering the scene I just witnessed between you two, I just wanted to share Renee's and my story with you because I think it would be helpful for you to know. Bella is as stubborn as her old man, and she's so smitten with you now she'd never listen."

Edward nodded, and he continued.

"Renee and I got together in the early eighties, although we'd known each other since we were toddlers in the sixties. My father was a Presbyterian minister, and my mother a nurse who raised me to be as color-blind as one could be during those times. Our parents were friends and wherever there was a cause of equality to be championed, my parents were there standing right alongside the Rev. Daniel and Emily Higginbotham." He smiled, obviously lost in the memory.

"Renee and I danced around the attraction we had for one another while we were teenagers. We both dated other people and tried to move past that growing thing between us, but to no avail. It wasn't until she was in college at FAMU*, that I had the courage to move to Tallahassee and pursue her outright. I was a police officer in my little hometown in the Pacific Northwest, and she was on a fast track to becoming a lawyer. Not only was she smart, but extremely beautiful. She was a dancer when the Marching 100 was a little bit more daring than other bands."

"I'd say they're still a little more daring," Edward interjected with a smile.

Charlie smiled in kind. "You're probably right about that. Anyway, I approached Renee's father and told him off—pretty much like you stood up to me about Bella—because he was afraid that a relationship for us would be untenable, even in the post civil-rights era of the eighties. Renee and I didn't give a damn about that."

Edward's eyebrow rose imperceptibly when he heard Rev. Swan utter a swear word.

"We were in love and we wanted to be together, and as far as we were concerned, nothing was going to stop us. Eventually, her father gave us his blessing and we dated openly. It was difficult sometimes for us, even then. Our friends were cautious, and strangers were sometimes belligerent and downright ugly, but we just handled each situation as it came up and continued to love one another, regardless of what the community at large thought of us. I know you young people might find it hard to believe sometimes, but we know what it's like to be in love and to want to express it in every way possible. Renee was everything to me and we struggled the same way you and Bella are right now."

Edward shifted uncomfortably, but didn't interrupt again.

"Try as we might, and as committed as we both were to being faithful to wait until we were married, we didn't reach the mark. By that time I was convinced that I had been called into the ministry, we had already breached our promise of abstinence several times. However, we repented and moved on with our lives and were married the year Renee graduated. We were so excited to be married, and anxious to start our family even though Renee was in law school.

"We both dreamed of having our children while we were young so they could grow up with us, so to speak, but our first three tries were met with failure. Renee had three miscarriages before Bella came along, and then she was so sick when she carried Bella we almost lost them both. I blame myself for not having enough willpower to resist when we were young and foolish. Much like David experienced after his indiscretion with Bathsheba, I believed our difficulties conceiving were somehow related to breaking our promise to God, but my bride didn't and still doesn't agree with me.

"God gives us a lot of grace Edward, which is what I try to impart to my parishioners, including those of you in my Bible Study on Wednesday nights. However, He left his Word as a guide to show us how to live, and Renee and I strayed from that, but we were sincere in our repentance and God showed us mercy by finally rewarding us with a beautiful daughter. We would have loved to have others, and as a matter-of-fact, we borrowed Angela from her parents in Malta for most of her High School life some years after we realized we couldn't.

"I truly believe that when we decide to follow God, His Holy Spirit resides in us, and our hearts should be His and not divided. Anything we do that he has advised us, for whatever reason, not to do, grieves him mightily. That's why the church views sexual sin so seriously. When a man and woman come together, they are joining their spirits, and God is right there in the midst, but our actions drive Him out if we are in sin, because He is holy and won't reside with us in it.

"I realize this is a lot for you to take in, and I don't mean to butt in where my opinion is not welcome. I just wanted to share this with you, because I believe you are a man of integrity, and despite my un-Christ-like treatment of you in the beginning, you still grew to love my daughter like Christ loves his Church, and I truly appreciate that, Edward."

Edward cleared his throat. "Thanks for sharing with me what I know is a deeply personal story for you, Rev. Swan. I'm grateful that you felt I was worthy to hear it. I can't begin to say that I understand all of what being a man of faith entails, but I've learned a lot since I've been attending your studies, and I'm still learning. Just watching how Bella lives every day has taught me a lot as well. I will always keep your story in the back of my mind as I continue to love and cherish her, hopefully from this day forward. That is, if you would give us your blessing." Edward waited expectantly for Charlie's response.

After what seemed like an interminable amount of time, Charlie finally stood and offered Edward his hand. He took it and they shook hands vigorously across the coffee table.

"Even though it's kind of an afterthought, you do have my blessing to seek my daughter's hand in marriage."

Edward was so ecstatic that he skirted around the table and threw his arms around the man he realized would soon be his father-in-law. Charlie only seemed a little chagrined about that unexpected show of emotion. When they both stepped back nervously, Charlie spied the letter on the table.

"So, are we opening that now?"

"Oh yeah," Edward said. He borrowed a letter opener from George and opened it under Charlie's watchful eye, then slid the letter out of the envelope. Careful only to touch the corners of it in case he needed to preserve some fingerprints, he laid it open on the table. What they saw made both their mouths fall open. Someone had snapped some grainy pictures of Bella, taken with something like a camera phone, and they were printed all over the paper. There were also words, obviously printed from a computer: "Officer Cullen Can't Save You!"

~888~

**E/N: Quite a few of you were curious as to the other 24 gifts Bella received for her birthday. Here's a rundown for you, which I originally wanted to include in the previous chapter but it got too freaking long for me to do so.**

**Bella's Birthday Gifts:**

1) Starbucks Gift Card for twenty-three Lattes

2) A Gift card from Bella, Bella Restaurant

3) An Alisha Keyes Unthinkable Video

4) The complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics

5.) A Nina Simone CD

6.) A Langston Hughes Poetry Book

7.) A Nicole Nordeman CD

8.) A Blue Ray Disc of the movie "The Princess Bride"

9.) A DVD of the movie "Splendor In The Grass"

10.) A Blue Ray Disc of the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman"

11.) A Blue Ray Disc of the movie "Avatar"

12.) A "Grey's Anatomy" Season DVD Set

13.) A CD of Edward playing Debussy & A song he wrote for Bella

14) A white gold cross on a white gold chain (engraved on back "Faithfully yours, Edward)

15.) A leather-bound Bible engraved with "To: Isabella Marie Swan I love you like Solomon loved his Beloved," Edward Anthony Cullen"

16.) Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda

17.) Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Gift Set

18.) 23 Red & White Roses

19.) A massage at Bernice at Betton's Salon and Day Spa

20.) A Kindle w/ 23 prepaid books

21.) An annual $2300 Featherstone scholarship for one child at the Center for 23 years (c/o Elizabeth Masen Cullen)

22.) Corinne Bailey Rae Concert Tickets (11/8/2010)

23) A gorgeous cushion-cut diamond engagement ring with micro pave diamonds set in platinum (picture on profile).

*FAMU – Florida A & M University

**Recommendation:**

I haven't rec'd anything or anyone in a while and wanted to do so this time because I've found a truly awesome writer, artist, musician, and friend in **bettigefecht** who writes **"Your True Colors"**, which she describes as a "Twilight fanfiction of sorts." I view it as a story for mature women in the fandom who appreciate a multi-media approach to fanfiction. Betti has not only written the story, but she has illustrated each chapter, and written songs for it, as well. So, If you'd like to see a story truly come alive, that features the sexiest Rob/Edward look alike in the fandom and his lady love, a truly original character, give "Your True Colors" a read, and browse her websites while doing so. Many authors in the fandom know Betti already by her truly unique red, black and white artwork, and as such have been recipients of her creative talent. Check out her banner site as well:

http :/ your-true-colors dot blogspot dot com/?zx=ce08f12a9bdf41

http :/ banners-by-betti dot blogspot dot com/

http :/ bettimusictwilight dot blogspot dot com/


	32. Ch 31 TLC: Ne Me Quitte Pas

**A/N: It is with a glad heart and much excitement that I post this update for TLC. As many of you know, I have been on a forced hiatus since September due to an ongoing family crisis. Considering how utterly obsessive I am about TLC (and my betas can attest to this), it was not, nor has it ever been my intention to leave this story incomplete. I left a note on my profile in the fall because I don't like the idea of sending fake-out chapters to notify readers of story issues. Most of you have been more than gracious and understanding, and for that I am truly grateful.**

**There are only about five more chapters left and an epi. Looking forward to completing this early in the 1****st**** Quarter of 2011. Thank you all for hanging in there with me.**

**I'd also like to thank my betas: Irritable Grizzzly, SavageWoman and Shug. Your strengths in editing are legendary, and I hope you know that my love for you, and your diligent and creative care for me, and my story, is without parallel. **

**Big love to Cereulean Blue and Rochelle Allison for pre-reading this for me. **

**Chapter 31 - Ne Me Quitte Pas**

"Bella's still being watched—closely." Charlie said flatly. "That's the only way the perp would have known where to deliver this letter."

The hairs on the back of Edward's neck stood on end, and the knot that had formed in his stomach as he read the stalker's words clenched like a fist.

His voice shook audibly as he replied, "And some of these photos were taken at the center. I've been combing through old cases trying to find a connection from the past that might help me identify who's behind this."

"Keep looking," Charlie advised soberly. "There has to be someone connected to a case who has a vendetta against you, for whatever reason."

"This note seems to be directed at Bella personally. I'd like to know if there were other deliveries to my family members, but it's too late to check now. I'll find out in the morning."

"Let's run a few scenarios. See what we can shake loose."

Edward was thankful to have Rev. Swan assisting him on the case. He'd been a veteran police officer before taking on his new vocation and could offer a fresh perspective. Of course he had a vested interest, since Bella was the primary target. Edward borrowed a legal pad from George, and they sat in the lobby and outlined investigation strategies.

By the time Edward and Charlie had exhausted every conceivable angle, it was well past midnight. Edward's desire to propose to Bella on her birthday had unintentionally slipped away from him.

As he walked Charlie to his car, his emotions were a jumbled mess. Selfishly, he wanted to barrel right through all that was going on and ask Bella to marry him anyway. No matter what happened, he still wanted her to be his wife. On the other hand, he was certain that her safety should be his priority, otherwise he could get careless.

The new developments in the case concerning Bella weighed heavily on him. It settled in his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. He wanted to feel good about the investigation, but he'd been going through old case reports for what seemed like weeks, looking for something that wasn't there. Reality coiled in his gut like a snake, and he feared that he wouldn't be able to strike soon enough to keep Bella and his family safe.

When they reached his car, Charlie popped the door locks using his keyless entry, but instead of getting in, he turned back to Edward. "My untimely visit and that letter we intercepted ruined your plans for proposing to Bella on her birthday. Sorry about that."

Edward had to work to muster a smile. "It's okay. We can always choose another day and make it special."

He didn't fool Charlie. "Bella made you a part of our family the minute she accepted you unconditionally. She loves you, and Renee and I are okay with that. I have a feeling that like me, you internalize things. That makes it difficult for you to play well with others sometimes. But I know you'd take a bullet for my baby girl." He pulled opened the door, pausing to glance over his shoulder. "Stop beating yourself up about this situation and do your job, Officer."

Rev. Swan was so spot-on in his assessment that Edward didn't know how to reply. He decided to go with something simple, or he'd be outside talking to his pastor and his future father-in-law for another hour, maybe more. "Thanks, and good night, Rev. Swan."

The closing door echoed with a finality that jarred his nerves to the point of fraying. The euphoria of celebrating Bella's birthday and his impending proposal had worn off and segued into an anticlimax, evidenced by his inability to process fully what Charlie had said. Had he been able to, the next couple of months of hell might not have been necessary.

~888~

Of course, Bella was sound asleep when he finally re-entered the condo to join her. It was just as well. He was no longer in a celebratory mood. Bella must have anticipated this, because she had put away the champagne and cake before she turned in. After taking off his shoulder holster and putting away his gun, he quietly undressed in the closet and then pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and climbed into bed with her. As the mattress dipped, she slid effortlessly into his arms and emitted a sigh that tickled the hairs on his chest. He tucked her head under his chin and molded into her soft warmth.

Edward thought about the stacks of folders on the desk back at her apartment. He'd known that he'd probably get no information, but he took the time to go through them anyway, just to be thorough. He had to investigate all the possibilities. Charlie had suggested that he needed to triangulate from the cases and look for perps connected with the cases in some peripheral way. He was eager to begin that process first thing in the morning.

For the moment, he lay there, his arms tightening infinitesimally around her, as if she might disappear in her sleep if he didn't hold on. Oddly, his arms didn't feel like they belonged to him. He was so deep in thought he didn't see or feel her wake up until she whispered softly to him.

"My dad didn't give you a hard time, did he?"

He was immediately able to find her eyes in the ambient semi-darkness. "No, not at all. He was uncharacteristically calm considering the state he found us in earlier. I wasn't thinking clearly when George announced him. I should have warned you."

She closed her eyes, and he felt her shaking in his arms as he struggled to see what was going on. "Bella? Are you all right?" For a few seconds he was alarmed that she might be crying, but when he lifted her chin, she burst into laughter that came from so deep within her gut, she was trembling.

He just smiled and shook his head, waiting for her laughter to subside. "What?" he finally inquired when she had calmed down enough to reply.

"I was just remembering the look on your faces when I came out in my skimpy nightie."

He chuckled. "I'm sure we'll all have images of each other's faces burned indelibly on our minds for some time to come."

Bella wiped her eyes with her fingers. "I laugh now, but I can't believe my dad didn't have more to say on the subject when he talked to you. You were gone a couple of hours." She narrowed her eyes. "You sure you aren't holding out on me, Cullen?"

He placed his hand on his heart. "Scout's honor. Suffice it to say, I think your father is settling into accepting that what we have is real. He also realizes that you're an adult and he has to trust you'll make choices that go along with the woman he raised you to be."

"Then I'm really glad he didn't show up twenty minutes earlier, or that conversation might not have gone nearly as well," she teased.

Though it wasn't officially her birthday anymore, Edward didn't want to ruin her "day" by telling her about the stalker or any of the other things he and Charlie had discussed. She was in a good mood. Besides, he was emotionally overwrought, and once he told her, she'd want to know all the details and they'd be up all night. Light banter he could handle.

"Yeah, he might have been inclined to officiate a shotgun wedding had he been aware of our previous activities." As awful as it sounded, he rather wished that all they had to worry about was the Reverend's concern for his daughter's virtue.

"At the very least, he might have acted like a character from a Jane Austen novel and challenged you to a duel."

"I kind of prefer the six-shooters Clint Eastwood brandished in his spaghetti westerns."

"I can see you in a cowboy get-up with a cheroot hanging out of your mouth, just so. Think of all the fun we could have with you in nothing but a vest and a pair of chaps." She giggled.

"Now that we're talking costumes, I'd love to see you in a gymnastics leotard or cheerleader uniform."

"Ooh, I still have both in my parents' attic somewhere."

"We'll need to be retrieving those sometime after all this mess is over." He immediately regretted saying that last part the moment it was out of his mouth.

She seemed confused for a second, but then remembered just what _this mess_ was.

"Any new developments in the investigation?"

_Why did I have to go there?_

He really wanted to find out if anyone else in his family had gotten a threatening letter before telling her anything. That information would solidify the next course of action in a way that he hoped wasn't necessary, but his immediate concern was how to put her off from this line of questioning without alarming her. Especially if the new developments weren't a full-out assault on everybody he loved. He decided to go with a direct approach, topped with a little bit of distraction.

"There are so many more interesting things to do tonight than talk about that. I promise to fill you in tomorrow morning, but right now, I just wanna kiss my twenty-three-year-old girlfriend until she falls asleep." With that, he lightly brushed her lips with his.

"I won't argue with my twenty-eight-year-old boyfriend about that," she murmured.

Within a few minutes, their passionate kisses made them forget everything else except lips locked in a smoldering embrace, hands kneading flesh, and desire that raged through them both like a brushfire.

~888~

Their alarm the next day was an early-morning phone call from Carlisle. Bella came out of her sleep-induced stupor first and nudged him.

"Baby, your phone..."

Edward extricated one arm from around her and grabbed his cell phone off the nightstand. "Cullen," he answered groggily.

"I'm sure I've awakened you, and I'm sorry, Edward," Carlisle said apologetically. "I'm headed off to the hospital to do my rounds, and I needed to give you a heads-up about something."

Edward, waiting for the other shoe to fall, answered his uncle monosyllabically, "Yeah?"

"The stalkers delivered us all a letter sometime yesterday evening taunting in various ways about how easy it would be to get to us despite all your efforts to protect your family."

"I figured as much. Bella got a similar letter last night." Considering that they hadn't had a chance to discuss the events of the night before, he could see the unspoken questions in her eyes.

"I wanted to let you know that I'm not willing to risk the women in this family being hurt, or worse."

Edward sat up abruptly, and Bella followed suit. "What are you planning to do, Uncle Carlisle?"

"We knew you were celebrating Bella's birthday, so we didn't want to call you last night, but we've decided to send the women away for a while. Esme and Alice will be going to Seattle for an extended holiday with her sister, and Elizabeth has agreed to go to Indianapolis. Ted is deteriorating. As you know, his doctor and I were friends in college, and he keeps me abreast of your father's progress, or lack thereof."

Edward wasn't sure which alarmed him more: the news of sending the women away, or his possible genuine concern that his father might really be suffering from the many years he'd abused his body with alcohol. Carlisle was the only one who'd ever addressed his father with the nickname Ted, a fact that Edward hadn't dwelt on in many years. He must have taken a few too many seconds to respond, because Carlisle launched into an explanation.

"It's not that we don't trust you to wrap this up as quickly as you can, but Jasper and I felt this was the best move for Alice and Esme. Your mother was very kind to offer to go take care of Ted since I'm not in a place right now where I can get away easily—"

"I know this makes it look like the situation is escalating out of control, but I plan to petition Captain Black for some more manpower today to get it resolved quickly. When I collect the letters from each of you, I'm sure it'll be enough to convince him. I don't blame you one bit for making alternate preparations for keeping everyone safe. I'll be doing the same for Bella immediately." Then he couldn't mask the sarcasm in his final words. "And as for my mother, if she wants to play nursemaid to her ex-husband, who am I to object?"

"Thanks for understanding Edward. And cut your folks some slack, okay? It's a miracle they both agreed to this unorthodox arrangement, considering how volatile their relationship was in the waning years of their marriage. However, Elizabeth indicated to me that you might have been considering joining her in Indianapolis once the case is solved."

"I did promise to seriously consider it, since Dr. Levy has been saying it would be good for me. It's not exactly at the top of my list of what I want to do after this is all over, but I'm doing it for me and Bella, not for him." Bella linked her arm in his and leaned on his shoulder when he said her name. She was silently soothing him, because she knew how riled up he could get when talking about his father.

"Jasper and I are cognizant of the risks we face by staying behind, but we'd much rather be a target than our wives. We'll be keeping the off-duty police detail until you say otherwise."

"Good idea," Edward agreed. "Make a couple of bogus flight reservations to other places just in case, but make sure they're refundable and cancel them later. We don't know how sophisticated the perps may be."

"Will do," Carlisle said. "And Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Your mom would probably love to see you and Bella before her flight leaves tomorrow."

As much as he wanted to believe that he wouldn't go through with the contingency plan he'd hatched up with Charlie the night before, he was now almost certain he would have to take drastic measures to protect Bella. "_I'll_ pay her a visit tonight," he said, his voice cracking with the realization that a separation from the woman he loved more than life itself was probably imminent.

"Something's happened, hasn't it?" Bella asked the second he hung up.

He felt like he was choking as he fully comprehended the gravity of what he would have to do. All his focus and training as a Marine and a police officer was failing him miserably. He didn't recognize his own voice as he told her about the threatening letters each of his family members had received the night before, plus the one delivered to her. He showed her the letter and explained their need to tighten security yet again.

Edward hated to dump all this on her so soon after her birthday while she was still struggling to accept the security detail she had already. However, he couldn't figure out who was after her unless he was certain that she was safe. That part would be relatively easy. He, or someone with his skill set, would shadow her at all times until they apprehended the bastards.

So why was he still agonizing over everything? Why was there a vise-like grip in his chest, cutting off his air until he could barely think logically? Why did he fear telling her what he and Charlie had agreed to, when rightfully, he should be planning when to propose to her again?

Then, with a certainty that made him nauseous, he knew why.

There was no hiding from the truth. Bella would never agree to go stay with her aunt until they solved the case, and as long as she was with him, she would be in danger. He would have to let her go to keep her safe, not only from the stalker but also from their quickly escalating and uncontrollable passion. He'd barely been able to make the choice to act honorably the night before, which was the only choice he could have made and still been able to look at himself in the mirror. She'd held true to her convictions for so long—he couldn't live with himself if she broke her vow now.

However, all that paled in comparison to the danger she faced from the lunatic who was threatening his family. He couldn't imagine how he would survive if this guy somehow managed to get to Bella. He couldn't do it, couldn't live without her. He had fallen into a self-destructive spiral when Paul died, but Edward knew that if anything were to happen to Bella, he would not be able to live long enough to self-destruct.

He had to let her go.

The stalkers needed to believe that she wasn't important to him, and maybe that would spare her from her identification as a target. He had to put some distance between them and make it believable enough to anyone observing so they would leave her alone. Whoever this was had some sort of connection that got them close enough to keep an eye on everyone in his life, but just removed enough to avoid discovery. It would kill him to be away from her, but there was no other choice. Her safety was paramount.

After he concluded his recitation of everything that had transpired recently on the case, he paused and looked at Bella. Even though he knew what she was going to say, he had to at least try to get her to agree to leave for a while.

"Bella, your dad and I discussed the idea of you going to stay with your Aunt Lonette until we get a handle on things." Just as he expected, she was already shaking her head before he even finished talking.

"I can't just leave. It's the beginning of the school year. Who would run the Center?"

"The volunteers?"

"We're already without Alice. Take me out of the picture and the volunteers would be so short-staffed, they'd probably all bail before I came back."

"Your safety is more important to me than the program. You can build it back when you return."

"Those children are so used to being thrown away, they wouldn't understand. I have to be there for them, and I'm not letting this… this _stalker_ frighten me into letting those children down."

Edward ran his hands through his hair, then scrubbed his face in frustration. "If the stalker gets to you, you might never be there for them again."

"Then I suppose that's just a risk I'll have to take," she said stubbornly and stalked off to the bathroom.

Edward felt the force of those words like a jackhammer to his gut, but he followed her, hoping desperately that he could change her mind. "Bella, please..."

"I won't do it, Edward." She grabbed her toothbrush and slathered it with toothpaste. "TPD is just going to have to find out who's doing this with me working at the Center. I am not going to run off and leave you and the rest of your family just as vulnerable as I would be." She began furiously brushing her teeth.

"That's just it, baby. Uncle Carlisle and Jasper are sending Esme and Alice to Seattle, and my mother is going to stay with my father, of all people."

"No offense, but Esme, Alice, and your mother are housewives. They don't have eighty children they're responsible for. I do!"

He felt like someone had taken razor wire to his throat as he prepared to utter the words he never thought he'd have to say. "Then I guess we just need to put some distance between us until this is wrapped up."

Bella almost swallowed her toothbrush. Had she heard him right? They'd just shared the most special birthday of her existence and for weeks had declared their love for one another in ways that she had never dreamed of doing with any man, and he was talking separation? She took a deep breath, struggling to breathe, because his words had taken all the wind out of her.

As her lungs expanded a pain unlike any she'd ever had to endure ripped through her. Tears threatened, and her throat began to close. Edward's eyes were sad and red, and a muscle in his jaw was working like mad. Too proud and angry to cry, she spat the toothpaste inelegantly in the sink and turned the water on more forcefully than she intended. As the cold water splashed onto the front of her nightgown, it sobered her briefly. She struggled to turn it off, but for a few seconds, it wouldn't budge.

Edward leapt into action and tried to turn it off for her. "I'll get it," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

She tried to bat his hands away. "I've got this! I've got—" He grabbed the handle and turned it off with one powerful twist.

She backed away and wrapped her arms around her own waist as if trying to hold back the pain. Her nightgown was soaked in front, but she didn't feel the wetness, only the agony. Grabbing a towel, Edward gingerly dabbed at the water marks, but she yanked it from his hands and wicked the excess moisture away, then placed the towel haphazardly back on the rack. She was so upset she couldn't see straight.

"Bella—"

She turned on her heel and walked out of the bathroom into the closet, but Edward wouldn't let her walk away. He followed her, and she flinched as she felt his hand encircle her arm. Rounding on him, she hissed vehemently, "Don't!"

He dropped his hands to his sides, and she almost melted when she saw the anguish in his face. "Bella, this time away won't change how we feel for each other. Nothing can change that. As soon as the people threatening to hurt you and my family are behind bars, we can go on with our lives—together—but right now, I'm a liability to all of you. You're in increasing danger the longer you're associated with me, and if you leaving town for a while is out of the question, then this is our only other option."

"So how does this work, Edward? Should I tell people that you dumped me, or that I dumped you?"

"We don't have to tell people anything. You'll just quietly move back in with your parents until its safe for you to move back here."

"With my parents?

"It's the safest place for you, besides being here with me, and your dad is a trained cop. He's the only person I know who'll take care of you the way I would."

"So, you and my dad cook up this scheme, with no input from me, mind you, and I'm just supposed to agree to it?"

"You had another option and chose not to take it," he said in an unemotional voice. Then his face crumbled, and he took her hand. "Bella, I don't want to fight about this. I need to be able to do my job without being distracted.

"Is that what I am now? A distraction?"

He pulled her into his arms, and she allowed him because she was too emotionally distraught to resist. "Absolutely not. If your very life didn't depend on my focus on the job, it wouldn't matter, but because it does, I need to do everything I can to make you safe."

Bella's arms went around him involuntarily, and she held on for dear life. Despite his reassurances that this separation would be brief and wouldn't affect their feelings for one another, she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that it would ultimately change things between them forever, and not in a good way. Only yesterday Edward had made her the happiest girl in Tallahassee, and now, less than a day later, he truly believed that the danger to her necessitated his removal from her life. In the few hours before they both had to report to work, she discovered that no amount of discussion would dissuade him.

~888~

Bella found no joy or solace in her work at the Center. She kept remembering that at the end of the day, she would not be joining Edward at the condo. Her father would come and pick her up, and together they would effectively move her out of the place she had grown to think of as her home; a home that she'd hoped she and Edward would share someday. The threats to her and his family had driven him to make a decision without her input—a decision she did not agree with. A fact, which made her angrier, the more she thought about the situation.

Most of the afternoon, she'd delegated activities with the children to the volunteers and sought refuge in her office. She could tell from the side-eyed looks and unasked questions in their eyes that they were concerned, but they sensed her need for privacy and gave her a wide berth. Today was a day to steer clear of people, because she knew that the slightest stimulus or kindness would catapult her over the edge. If it were possible, she was both angry and brokenhearted at the same time.

She shook her head in an attempt to clear it as she finished up the daily report. Once it was complete, she printed a hard copy, then went to put it away, only to find the folder practically bursting at the seams. When she was troubled, she found that getting things organized was her way of coping, so she decided to create monthly file folders.

After making all the folders, she began the tedious task of filing them all away and found that the two-drawer cabinet was woefully small for all the files she now had. However, she wasn't going to let it deter her from getting them all off her desk. She squeezed them in a few at a time until she got to the last of them and found herself hurling expletives under her breath because the final file wouldn't fit. In her dogged determination to get it into the drawer, she pushed until she finally got it in, but broke a nail in the process. Cursing her misfortune, she slammed the drawer shut.

"I'm glad I'm not that drawer, boss," Maria teased wryly.

Bella looked up to Maria leaning against the doorjamb, then back down at her broken nail, and burst into tears.

Maria discreetly closed the door, locked it, and rushed over to comfort her.

"Bel-la," Maria soothed while simultaneously opening her arms. "What's the matter, hmm?"

Bella stood and accepted the comfort Maria offered without hesitation. As she embraced her volunteer and relatively new friend, she settled into a cleansing cry, not sure at all what she should say. The truth would be optimal, but she remembered that Edward didn't want her to trust anyone with that information until the investigation was complete. She decided that a half-truth might be acceptable in this situation.

"E-Edward s-said we should put some distance between us for a while," she sobbed.

"Oh, Bella! You two were so happy Sunday at your birthday thing," Maria commiserated.

"That's why this is s-so hard." It felt so good to cry and release all the pent-up emotion she'd felt since her conversation with Edward. At the same time, she felt bad because she couldn't share the whole truth with Maria, who was being so kind.

Maria pulled away and looked into her eyes. "You want to talk about it?"

Bella's face crumpled again. "I can't—it just—it hurts too much..." That was the honest truth. Despite the fact that Edward had not truly ended their relationship, it did hurt that he would make a decision without consulting her and not leave anything open for discussion. Not to mention they would have virtually no contact until they found the perpetrators. He promised to call her daily, but she wasn't even sure at this point if she would even accept his calls. She could certainly reciprocate his stubbornness in all matters regarding her so-called "safety."

Maria hugged her close again, this time rubbing her back. "I understand. Give him a little space. His own feelings are probably just spooking him. He'll be back, I'm sure of it."

"Th-thank you, Maria," Bella sniffed and pulled away. She grabbed a tissue from the box on her desk and dabbed at her eyes, breathing deeply in an effort to compose herself. "I'm sure you came in to talk about something other than my relationship woes. What can I do for you?"

Maria shook her head as she backed away. "It's nothing…nothing that can't wait," she said.

"Are you sure?"

Protesting nervously, she found the doorknob. "Yeah, I am. Sure—that is."

Bella's brow furrowed. "O…kay..."

Straightforward Maria, who never acted weird, was certainly acting weird. Bella wondered if she should mention this to Edward, but then decided that she wouldn't be the one to cave and contact him first. However, she would mention it to her dad so he would be aware of it.

_Damned stalkers._

Bella wanted these people to be caught already so their lives could get back to normal. In the meantime, she would watch Maria to make sure she wasn't someone Edward would call "a person of interest."

~888~

Now that her first day without Officer Cullen at the Center was complete, and she and her dad were finally at the condo to move her out, Bella still felt discombobulated by the whole ordeal. Leaving her dad in the living room to watch the early evening news, she moved around in the master bedroom, reminiscing and packing up her belongings. She wondered just how things had become so screwed up. How did you go from happy and madly in love to miserable and pretending to break up all in the span of a day?

The danger had been looming over them for months, but nothing had prepared her for this. Realistically, she would be replacing one ivory tower for another, so to speak. The major difference being Edward wouldn't be locked in with her.

Maybe she could be handling the situation better, but it didn't help that she was simultaneously missing him like crazy and angry as a hornet with her boyfriend. Edward seemed to be taking their forced separation rather well, compared to her inability to think straight in his absence. Several times during the day, she had reached for her cell phone to call him but stopped herself.

Officer Clearwater had been at the Center in Edward's stead, and he had notified her and the volunteers that they would find a replacement soon. Then he'd pulled Bella aside and explained why he wouldn't be taking Edward's place permanently.

"No offense, Bella," Seth said. "I don't mind pinch-hitting here and there when I'm needed, but I enjoy being a beat cop too much."

"I understand," she'd assured him.

"Anyway, I think Edward's trying to convince your girl Rosalie to take the job."

"Really?"

Under normal circumstances, Bella might have actually been excited by this turn of events, but given the sad state of affairs, she couldn't muster any excitement about it.

Bella didn't know if it was intentional or not, but Edward didn't show up to see her off, and that was so unlike him. She moved slowly, hoping against hope that he would come in while she was packing and tell her that he didn't want her to move after all, or at the very least that they didn't need to be separated for an indeterminate period of time, but that didn't happen. Finally, she had packed everything and given the place two once-overs before she realized she couldn't keep her dad waiting any longer.

On the way home, Bella told her dad about how jittery Maria had been acting earlier. He made a mental note and then filled her in on how things would go when she returned home.

"I'll take you to work and pick you up except on your class nights. Officer Hale will take you to and from class on Tuesday and Thursday nights until further notice. Edward cleared that with Captain Black, so no need to worry that Rosalie will get in trouble…" Charlie assured her.

"That's ridiculous. I can drive myself. Isn't my car ready?"

Charlie's voice was calm, yet firm. "Yes, it's fixed and it's parked in our garage where it will stay for now. There's a serious threat against your life, and if you won't go to stay with Lonette, you're gonna have to play by our rules until it blows over."

"'Ours' meaning yours and Edward's? So what? Now he's your best friend?" She regretted the words almost immediately as she uttered them. However, she didn't take it back or apologize. It was uncharacteristic of her, but she couldn't seem to keep her hurt and irritation from spewing out in her words.

Charlie sighed resignedly. "I'm not proud of how I treated Edward previously, baby girl. But his persistence and love for you won my respect. That boy would give his life for you."

"Yeah, he'd give his life for me, but he won't include me in a discussion about issues concerning me." She knew she was acting like an irrational bitch, but while she logically understood why things had to be the way they had to be, she didn't necessarily have to accept it without question or like it, did she?

"We'd both rather be safe than sorry where you're concerned right now. I stand by him on this one."

Bella pouted like a teenager and refused to say anything more the rest of the way home.

For once, Bella was glad that her dad knew all the details about her separation from Edward and had shared it with her mother. She was thankful not to have to go into everything with her mom over dinner, making her sadness and anger spike again. Never in a million years did she think she would be moving back into her old bedroom. It made her feel like she had somehow failed at living successfully as an independent adult.

Her cell phone rang at nine-thirty, and seeing it was Edward, she didn't bother to pick up.

_Let him see how being ignored feels for a change._

A few seconds later the house phone rang, and a few seconds after that, there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in," she called begrudgingly.

Her mom entered. "Edward's on the phone for you, lovely."

Bella stood and yawned dramatically. "I'm about to shower and go to bed." It was true, but she also didn't want to talk to Edward, despite how much she missed him. Her heart _hurt_. If this was what it felt like after one day, she wasn't sure how long she would be able to go without talking to him. And if not talking to him felt this bad, how would she be able to go without seeing him? She was tempted to give in and take the call, but forced herself to remember his unilateral decision-making.

"Are you sure, baby?"

She stubbornly held her ground. "Yes, Mom."

"Okay. Goodnight." Renee slipped back out of her room, and Bella put her phone on silent before she quickly stripped and made her way to the shower. Her tears mingled with the warm water as she struggled to resist calling Edward back.

About a half an hour later, she lay in her bed in the dark, wearing her old soft flannel pajamas and staring at the ceiling. Nina Simone's _Ne Me Quitte Pas _was playing on a continuous loop from her iPod on its base. She wondered what Edward was doing, even as she struggled to convince herself that she was still very angry with him. After emerging from the shower, she'd checked her cell phone again and saw she had three missed calls, all from Edward.

She couldn't believe that just the day before she'd offered him her virginity. Edward was so protective, that letter was all he'd needed to go into protection overdrive. Or maybe it wasn't that at all. Perhaps she had compromised herself too much, and he might not be as committed as she thought. Had she dodged yet another bullet? Okay, so even that sounded irrational to the _queen of irrationality_ right now. If there was anything Bella knew without a doubt, it was that Edward loved her beyond all reason. And while he may have struggled with commitment in the beginning, he had overcome so much in the time they had been together. Frustrated with herself and feeling guilty for even thinking Edward capable of such duplicity for even a second, Bella punched her pillow and turned onto her side.

She yawned, a real one this time, and curled herself into a semi-fetal position. Truth be told, all the vacillating between being sad, angry, and afraid, was exhausting, and before she knew it, she was sound asleep.

~888~

Bella was jarred awake by a persistent knocking on her door. When she looked at the clock on her nightstand, it registered eleven-fifteen. As her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, she remembered she was in her old bedroom. Sitting up abruptly, she wondered why her mom or dad would be knocking on her door so late.

Groggy from sleep, she stretched and mumbled loudly, "Come in."

Her mother swung the door open and flipped on the light as a very haggard, anxious-looking Edward followed closely behind her.

Bella gasped in surprise, effectively stifling the yawn building in her chest before it escaped. She blinked repeatedly, and was torn between catapulting herself into Edward's arms and stubbornly remaining seated in her bed.

Renee, on the other hand, was in her classic cut-the-crap mode. "Get up, lovely, and _talk_ to your boyfriend."

~888~

**E/N: "Ne Me Quitte Pas" (French) – means "Don't Leave Me Now." Look up the song on YouTube, it is hauntingly beautiful.**

**You had to know that the Francophone in Bella had to choose a French song to wallow in her self-imposed angst. And I absolutely adore Nina Simone. **

**I just know you all are going to review, if for no other reason than to say, "It's about damn time, Missy!" Love you all. ~ Bev**


	33. Ch 32 TLC: Lover, You Should Have Come

**A/N: These ladies make TLC the absolute best it can be: SSHG316, SavageWoman and Irritable Grizzzly. I would probably look very foolish if it weren't for the expertise each of them brings to making this story great. Thanks ladies for all the hard work you do for me, even when I'm pushing to get an update posted. Thanks for giving so freely of your personal time. It is more than I deserve, but I am truly appreciative. **

**TRUST, LOYALTY, COMMITMENT**

**Chapter 32 **—** Lover, You Should Have Come Over**

Edward cringed internally as he heard Renee address Bella in a manner he knew he couldn't get away with in a million years. She didn't look angry, just rather surprised to see him. Bella's face was scrubbed clean, but she was even more beautiful than she had been when he left her that morning, if that was even possible. He didn't wait for her to respond to her mother's command. In a heartbeat, he crossed the room and had her in his arms. She hugged him back, and the feeling of emptiness began slowly ebbing away as he held her against him.

His hunger to communicate with her, to hold her, was exacerbated by them merely honoring the self-imposed separation. It was magnified even more by her refusal to take his calls. Now, he was engulfed by a wave of relief and calm. Not letting her go for a second, he picked her up and swung her feet onto the floor.

Renee was quietly closing the door behind her as he turned with Bella in his arms, and even if her mother had remained in the room, he would have still kissed her like he was a starving man. Her response was immediate and so intense it knocked the wind out of both of them. They emerged for air panting, yet holding one another firmly, the emotion in their hearts manifesting in their eyes.

"Bella..." he began and stopped to kiss her again, softer and gentler this time. Within seconds, they were caught up in each other. When she pulled away, there were tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I've been angry, stubborn, and irrational all day," she whispered. "I acted like such a... a brat."

"Shhh," he said kissing her all over her face. "We should have discussed it with you, rather than handing down an edict. I'm sorry, too." He ran his hands up and down her arms over the sleeves of her flannel pajama top.

Bella looked down at what she was wearing and grinned sheepishly. "These are my go-to pajamas when I'm depressed."

"Baby, you could be wearing a county jail jumpsuit right now and I wouldn't care. I just wanted to say goodnight and tell you that I love you, but you wouldn't answer your phone and it made me insane."

She cupped his face. "I really am sorry. Logically, I knew what I was doing was stupid, but I couldn't stop myself. I should have told you this morning how I really felt, but I was too busy trying to change your mind."

He pulled her down to sit beside him on the bed. "Bella you have to promise me you'll answer when I call you. I can't concentrate when you ignore me like that, and if I can't get in touch with you, I'll come find you, and that could blow our cover."

"You're right," she agreed, threading their hands together.

Edward squeezed her to his side and kissed her temple. "I know I can act like a freaking caveman sometimes, but it's only because I want to protect you. If anything happened to you..."

"I know, and I'll curb my irrational, if you'll curb your caveman."

"Deal," he said as he took her hand and swooped in to kiss her again. Then he reluctantly broke away and gazed at her soberly. "You know—I never got a chance to give you your final birthday present..."

Bella began protesting. "You've given me too much already. Not to mention everything I got from our friends and families. You should return it and get your money back."

"That's going to be rather difficult."

"Why? Don't tell me you lost the receipt."

"Well, not exactly..."

"They could give you a store credit, or you could keep it and give it to me for Christmas or something."

"I didn't buy it from a store."

"Oh, well, if it's something you made for me, then I'll take it."

"No, I didn't make it. It was given to me."

"Why Edward Cullen, who would have thought you'd be a re-gifter? I mean, I do that sometimes, but only if it's something I know my friends will appreciate more than I would—"

Edward kissed her and cut off her rambling. "So, are you gonna let me give you this gift now?"

"What is it?"

"It's kind of a family heirloom," he explained carefully. "Something that belonged to my grandmother."

"Oh," she said weakly, searching his eyes. "Is it jewelry?"

He smiled, looking at her intently. "Yes."

"Is it earrings?"

"No."

"A necklace?"

"No."

"A bracelet?"

"No."

"A-a r-ring?"

"Yes."

Her breath hitched as she began to tremble, her voice shaking. "W-what kind?"

"Before I answer that, let me tell you how I would have given this to you on your birthday if we'd never been interrupted."

She swallowed nervously. "Okay."

"We would have had that cake and champagne." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Then we would have danced to songs by Corinne Bailey Rae or Nina Simone." He stood up, still holding her hands, as he held her gaze, watching her eyes flicker with emotion. "Then I would have said, 'Isabella Marie, loving you is the best thing to _ever_ happen to me. I want to spend the rest of our lives thanking you for showing me how to begin the journey of saving myself.'" He knelt down on one knee, as her expression registered shock and surprise, tears spilling hot and fast down her cheeks. "Will you complete my salvation by becoming my wife?'"

Bella flung herself so forcefully into his arms, they almost toppled to the floor, but Edward steadied them both as she blurted her answer. "Yes, yes, yesss..." Then he silenced her with a kiss, embracing her with one arm as he rummaged in his pocket for the ring, which he quickly retrieved and presented to her, box and all, when they came up for air.

With shaking hands, Bella opened it and gasped. "Edward, it's so beautiful."

"But it pales in comparison to you," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead. She took the ring from the box and was about to jam it onto her finger, but then thought better of it.

"Here." She gave it to him and extended her hand. "You do it." Her voice was filled with so much emotion, Edward could feel his own eyes misting up.

He took her finger and slid off the promise ring her father had given her when she was thirteen, and slipped on his grandmother's ring. "Thank you," he said huskily, and despite all the effort he exerted to prevent it, a sob escaped him.

Bella immediately held his face in her hands and peppered it with kisses as she tasted their intermingled tears.

When he released her, he held her promise ring in his open hand, and they both looked at it. "Thank you for allowing me to be the man to remove this ring and replace it with my own," he said. "I wanted you to know that, even though we have to be apart right now, I do intend to make you my wife as quickly as possible after this is all over. I love you so much, Bella."

"I love you, too." She leaned into him and kissed him until their tears dissolved. They collapsed on her bed a mass of arms and legs, straining to get as close as humanly possible.

Heavy footsteps on the stairs reminded them they were in her parent's house, so Edward quickly stood and hauled Bella up with him. She took her promise ring, and they approached the door together.

Before Rev. Swan could even knock, they opened the door and Bella raised her left hand and held her promise ring out to him in her other, like an offering. "Dad, you gave this to me ten years ago yesterday and told me that the man who was worthy of me would replace it. Edward is that man, and I'm going to be his wife."

A shadow crossed Charlie's eyes fleetingly, but then he saw how ecstatically happy his daughter was, he broke into a huge grin. "Well..." Charlie began, and then Bella was in his arms. Edward watched as Charlie closed his eyes as if in prayer, and then tears streamed down his face. The scene was so charged, that when Edward looked away, he was surprised to find Renee there sniffling and wiping her own tears away.

Renee held out her arms. "Congratulations," she said as she hugged him tight, and then looked into his eyes with a watery grin. "Finally, I've got me a son-in-law!"

"Oh my gosh," Bella said rolling her eyes, as she pulled away from her father. "We won't be able to live with her now, will we, Dad?"

Charlie kissed her check and let her go. "No, we won't. She's been pining for a son-in-law since you graduated college. I don't know if I should thank you just yet, Edward."

"I'll thank you, then," Edward said as he extended a hand for him to shake, while Bella and her Mom hugged it out.

Charlie pretended to ignore Edward, and then he waved his hand away and pulled him in for a hug. Edward was so shocked, he was sure his eyes bugged out of his head. His future father-in-law was hugging _him_?

Bella and Renee saw his expression and laughed.

"Didn't I tell you he was a teddy bear?" Renee said with a wink.

Charlie released him and stepped back. "They just don't understand, Edward. I've been overwhelmed by estrogen for twenty three years. It's time I had some other men around to even out the hormones a little. You and Ben will be welcome additions to our family."

Renee glared playfully at her husband, who embraced her and gave her a peck on the lips. Bella floated over to Edward and took his hand.

As Renee and Charlie walked away, Renee called over her shoulder, "See you two downstairs in five minutes. We have a bottle of champagne on ice."

Bella was regarding Edward with so much love, he wanted to whisk her away to Vegas and get married right then and there, but he kissed her instead. This was a soul-searing, you're-mine-forever kind of kiss that they both felt in all their extremities. After a couple of minutes he finally found the will to step back.

"We'd better cool it."

"Oh, yeah, right," Bella said, and she backed away, but kept smiling up at him.

"How is it that you're not staring at your ring right now? Isn't that usually how these things go?" he said, touching her face. "Guy proposes to girl, gives her a ring, and she promptly ignores him and stares only at the bauble."

"Because the ring is not the prize," she said with a smile. "You are. I can see the ring anytime. Even when you're not around." Then she got serious. "But after tonight, who knows when I'll get to see you again?"

That was a classic Bella answer. Though she grew up in a home where she didn't want for anything, she was neither materialistic nor a snob. He had always been in awe of her ability to love people unconditionally, despite their race, creed, or socioeconomic background. The children and parents at the Center loved her for it. She was selfless and placed the well-being of those children above her own safety. He didn't know how to reconcile that yet, but since she had refused to leave them while the case was being resolved, they would need to figure that out... and quickly. This time he would make sure she was included in that discussion. Now that she was officially his fiancée, the stakes had infinitely increased. Bella had become his everything, his life—and his primary goal would be to protect her with everything in him.

~888~

Edward felt buoyant as he emerged from the shower, having scrubbed the tension of another day's work from his body. Bella had agreed to marry him! He was still so ecstatic he'd found it difficult not to walk around whistling at work. That was, until he thought of the danger she was still in, and that sobered him up quickly.

He had an appointment with Dr. Levy in an hour, but in the meantime he would decompress and clear his head. He wanted to revel just for a few moments in being an engaged man looking forward to a future with his bride-to-be. The remedy for that was sought on the keys of his Baby Grande. He smiled, remembering that he played for Bella only a few days before, and as they'd developed the habit of doing, she'd sat with him. Her favorite game was seeing how many ways she could touch him before he missed a note.

He frowned as he wondered how long it would be before she'd be sitting beside him on the bench again, while he deftly played something appropriate to celebrate his upcoming nuptials: Mozart's _The Marriage of Figaro: Non So Piu, Cosa Son_. As he was building to a crescendo, his cell phone rang. He stopped abruptly, stood, and fished it out of his pocket.

The number looked vaguely familiar.

"Hello," he said warily.

"Edward," a pleasant motherly voice said. "I got your message. I would scold you for not calling me earlier, but I realized I left home in a rush and never gave you my sister's number."

"Reisa?" He'd called Mrs. Featherstone and left a message with her sister, and had planned to call her again, but then all hell had broken loose.

"It's been too long. How have you been? When we last talked you were about to take a new job patrolling a neighborhood surrounding a community center."

"Yeah, I did take that job, but so much has happened since then. I'm temporarily back at the precinct."

"I hope that's going well."

"Not really, but I don't want to go into that just yet. Jared was here this week and I have to warn you, our reunion was not particularly amicable."

"What has my hot-headed son done now? I swear you and he could be blood the way he acts whenever I mention you—so jealous of our relationship."

"He brought me a check for almost the entirety of what I gifted you over the years and told me not to send any more. Is this how you feel, too, Reisa?"

There was a pause, and then Edward heard the irritation in her voice. "Wait a minute...Jared gave you money?"

"I still have the check, which I want to send back to you, if you'll take it."

"What—why, of course, I'll take it. I'm not sure what Jared said to you, but I'm going to get to the bottom of it. He can't just decide to return what you've given me from your heart."

"I always thought he was either very quiet or uncomfortable around me before, but I never thought he harbored such resentment. I had no idea what Paul was going to do that day. Jared feels like it should have been me."

"That was Paul's decision, Edward, and God doesn't make mistakes. Jared will have to accept it and move on. He would say things sometimes when you were around, or when I talked to you on the phone, but I thought he was just being territorial—jealous that his mother was giving attention to another child. You became the son of my heart when Paul died. Jared will not dictate whether I can have a relationship with you."

"I'll have Garrett send the check back to you immediately. Where is Jared now?" Edward wanted to know if he was still in or around the Tallahassee area.

"He's in Jacksonville. How close is that to you?"

Edward's heart sank. He would have to look into Jared's whereabouts from the time he left Tallahassee until now, but he didn't want to worry Reisa unless there was a reason. "Only a couple of hours."

Steering the conversation to a less tense subject, he chatted with Mrs. Featherstone until he had to leave for Dr. Levy's office. It saddened him, for her sake, that he was suspicious of Jared, and that he couldn't tell her about Bella just yet. Instead, he peppered her with questions, catching up on what she'd been up to since they'd last spoken. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to break her heart yet again.

~888~

Edward couldn't wait to tell Dr. Levy his good news. Considering that he couldn't really tell anyone else he was engaged, his therapist would have to do. Oddly, the receptionist had him sit in the waiting room for a while, which ticked him off a little because he was anxious to get the session over with so he could get back to work.

Finally, he was ushered into Dr. Levy's office, and they did their perfunctory handshake, but something was a little off. The first red flag was the way he was addressed.

"Edward, my man!" The usually quiet and professional Ira Levy ushered him in boisterously and gestured to a seat. The man was totally _wired_. "Take a seat. How are things?"

Edward narrowed his eyes but shook the greeting off and took a seat. "Good, good. A lot has happened since our last session, and I wanted you to be the first to know—well, actually you're one of the only people I can tell right now—I asked Bella to marry me Tuesday night, and she said yes." Edward chuckled in spite of himself.

"Wow," the doctor exclaimed, laughing a little too loudly. "That is exciting news, man. It's just perfect for what I have planned. I was gonna see if you wanted to celebrate the progress we've made, but you've done us one better—we can also celebrate your engagement."

This was really weird. While they had gotten on friendly terms, Dr. Levy had never done anything to encourage a friendship, particularly during a session, when he needed to maintain an air of professionalism. However, Edward didn't voice his apprehension, figuring he'd just go with it. "What did you have in mind? I do need to get back to work soon."

Dr. Levy hopped up and went to a tray on his credenza. Edward was surprised to see that he had a couple of decanters of what looked like alcohol, and a couple of glasses. He'd never noticed this before, but now that he thought about it, perhaps it had always been there.

"Let's begin by knocking a few back, buddy," Dr. Levy said, sounding like he'd already enjoyed a few too many.

Edward was appalled. Dr. Levy sounded so much like his father. His adrenaline spiked, and a memory that he hadn't dwelled on in a very long time came rushing back to him. He was fifteen, and his innocence was about to be shattered.

_He'd been back living with his father for almost two months__,__ and his behavior had become increasingly vulgar, but Edward didn't dare mention it to his mother or she'd have him shipped back to Crawfordville posthaste. He figured living in his father's den of debauchery was the lesser of two evils._

_As per usual, Edward Cullen__,__ Sr. was trashed and partying with his flavor of the month, Jill__,__ a silicone blonde, and her sister, Janet. Edward had just finished his homework and emerged from his room to see what all the commotion was about._

_"Hey buddy, come on, knock back a few with your old man," his dad slurred. Jill was attached to his father's neck like she was a freaking vampire. Janet, a reasonably attractive brunette who looked to be in her twenties, was sprawled on the sofa watching TV on mute and nursing a beer as rock music played incessantly in the background._

_Having spent most of his life in his mother's tee-totaling household, Edward politely declined. "No thanks, Dad," he mumbled. "What are we having for dinner?"_

_His father looked confused for a moment. "Oh, I thought we already had dinner." He frowned and fished in his back pocket for his wallet. Taking out a credit card, he pushed it toward Edward, but it wobbled in his hand and dropped to the floor. Edward picked it up. "Order take-out, son. Will ya?"_

_When the food arrived, Edward signed for it and took everything into the kitchen where he fixed himself a plate, sat down__,__ and devoured a hearty portion of it, as teenage boys do. He went to the fridge to grab a soda__,__ and as he was popping the tab he turned around to find Janet invading his personal space. The drink spewed like a geyser, drenching them both. _

_She gasped and then burst into laughter. Edward was embarrassed and apologized profusely._

_"I'm so sorry, miss._ _I didn't know...I think someone shook it…"_

_She grabbed a kitchen towel and wiped herself down. "It's okay, sweetie. I've been spewed by worse. And call me Janet." She laughed again__,__ and Edward could smell beer and cigarettes on her breath, which made him a little nauseated. He stepped back, but she stepped forward, effectively cornering him between her and the refrigerator door._

_"What's your name?" she asked._

_"Edward."_

_"You're kind of cute, Edward," she said as she wiped the soda from his clothes. She brushed repeatedly over his crotch__,__ and he sprang a boner harder than granite. So many emotions were raging through him, along with all his teenage hormones. Embarrassed that he couldn't control himself, he tried to leave, but she blocked his exit and slowly removed the soda can from his hand and set it in the sink. _

_The next thing he knew, she was kneeling in front of him, opening his fly, and giving him his first blowjob. _

He could see Dr. Levy's lips moving and knew he was talking, but he had to struggle to actually hear what he was saying.

"Maybe after our session, we could go over to the Discreet Elite Gentlemen's Club. Whaddya say?"

This triggered Edward so thoroughly he felt like he was about to pop a blood vessel. "Are you asking me to go to a fucking strip club? I expect shit like that from douchebags like my father, but not from you!" Like a feral animal, he was out of his seat and pulling Dr. Levy up by his collar before he realized what he was doing.

"Edward... Edward, it's okay," Dr. Levy said anxiously. "Do you remember—we discussed using this type of intervention a while ago?"

His eyes blinking frantically, Edward nodded as understanding returned, and he took a deep breath.

Dr. Levi's voice was again the soothing, calming one Edward had grown accustomed to. "There was something that triggered this reaction in you. Let's get to the bottom of it."

Edward was reliving all his early days when he had gone to live with his father. Those memories had been buried deeply in his subconscious and were hazy and surreal, but suddenly it was all very clear. Dr. Levy led him back to his seat on the couch, and Edward shared every sordid detail from his past that he could conjure.

About a week after Janet had introduced him to fellatio, he'd lost his virginity to her. A few months later, hisfather dumped her sister for someone else, and he never saw her again. However, she had given him all the confidence he'd needed to pursue girls at his new school; to seek from them the only closeness to other human beings he had in those tumultuous years. Through high school, he had a steady stream of girls, from his and neighboring schools, parading through his father's house. When his dad discovered he was sexually active, his reaction was to spur him on, and Edward wanted to please his father. He'd believed that if he modeled his father's behavior, perhaps he would miraculously become the parent he craved.

But that never happened. An embarrassing episode with an STD when he was sixteen necessitated a professional visit to his uncle. He admonished Edward in his fatherly, yet clinical fashion that he should always, always, _always_ use protection. Carlisle had suspicions that his brother's way of parenting was horrendously lacking, but he was never able to get Edward to open up to him about it until it was too late. The only familial love Edward experienced had been when he resumed spending several weeks of his summers with his Uncle Carlisle and his family.

Edward relayed to Dr. Levy about how his father had been a high-functioning alcoholic. He kept his job and managed to fool all his colleagues and friends, but lived a secret life that was visible only to his impressionable young son. While living the dysfunction, Edward had grown to believe that his life was perfect. He was able to do whatever he wanted without any parental repercussions, and the sex was something he thought of as a bonus.

Loving Bella now the way that he did, he was staggered by the sheer number of women he'd used, and had used him. He felt like he wanted to toss his cookies as he came face-to-face with the reality of what he had been.

"What do you think the sex replaced in your life?" Dr. Levy asked quietly.

"How the hell should I know? You're the psychologist." Edward was pissed-off for reasons unfathomable to him, and quickly losing his shit. It would either result in him destroying something, or weeping like a fucking baby.

Dr. Levy pressed on. "Any closeness you had with your mother was stolen by your stepfather and the cult. You went to live with your father, and there was no real nurturing there, either. What were you looking for in the sex?"

"It was the only time I felt wanted—when I was physically close to another individual like that. Later, it was all I'd ever known. It was comfortable, convenient. I didn't want to be close to anyone emotionally, because it hurt too much."

He told Dr. Levy how he'd been excited about graduating and finally going to college, knowing that he wanted to major in music, but his father had belittled his career choice while in one of his drunken rages. "That was your mother's profession. The very least you could do is pick a man's job." Then to make matters worse, his father's wife had been making overtures toward him for quite some time, but he always had enough female attention and wasn't looking to bed his father's wife. Even being the manwhore that he was, he'd had standards and would only go so far. That was a line he'd had no interest in crossing.

Dr. Levy went to the whiteboard next to his desk. "How did you view the power structure in the relationship with your father, Edward?" He drew a stick figure as tall and as big as half the board, and then drew a tiny one, which was probably a tenth of the size of the first figure. "Which one was you and which one was your dad?"

"My father had always been the big guy; he never let me forget that. Even though I'd seen him pissed drunk and puking his guts out more times than I could remember, he insisted that he was always the one _in control_. He withheld my college fund because I wouldn't agree to declare engineering as my major. Then he wouldn't believe me when I told him his wife was more interested in fucking me than him."

"That was a perception he conveyed to you, not the reality." Dr. Levy wrote "Edward" under the big figure and "Edward Sr." under the tiny figure.

Edward shook his head dubiously, but Dr. Levy nodded. "_You_ stayed in school and continued to practice your music despite an extremely unstructured home environment where you were debased and encouraged to accept that way of life as normal. _You_ found alternate families with your Uncle and the Marine Corps, and they instilled a maturity in you that your father wasn't capable of doing. _You _chose law enforcement as your career, even after you were granted access to your trust fund and could have lived like a playboy for the rest of your life with no responsibilities. _You_ are the young man who had every reason to hate organized religion, but you've embraced it again and you're facing your demons. _You_ are in a monogamous relationship, something your father was never able to achieve. _You_ are the honorable young man who should by every right never trust the institution of marriage, but you just proposed to the woman you love. _You_ did this, Edward, not your father. Now who's the bigger man?"

It wasn't until a teardrop landed on his hand as he was clenching his knees, that Edward realized he was crying. He didn't recognize his own voice, he was so congested. "I-I want to be that man, for myself and for Bella. I just don't know if I am yet. It still scares me shitless that I'll disappoint her in some way."

Dr. Levy took a box of tissues out of a drawer in his credenza and offered it to Edward. "She knows all this, right?"

"Y-yes."

"And she hasn't run from you, has she?"

"No."

"She knows everything about you, yet she still loves you and wants you to be her husband and possibly father to her children."

"Am I really even strong enough to be somebody's father? I could suck at it, just as like my dad."

"I think deep-down you know this isn't true. You're not your father. You're stronger than he will ever be. He's reaping the 'rewards' of his past behaviors, while you are embarking on a new life. You have a chance to outshine him in every way."

Edward gestured toward the decanters. "If that's real liquor, I could really use a drink right now."

"It's tea, and no, you don't. That's a crutch for weaker men, like your father. You didn't do anything wrong. It was your father who was the absent parent and your father's wife who lied. It's time for you to face your father and show him that you don't need his approval and that you turned out just fine."

"I can't do that right now."

Edward then shared the new developments in the case and the reasons why he couldn't go to Indianapolis.

Dr. Levy cringed. "If I'd known all this, I would have saved this confrontational breakthrough therapy for later. I feel awful ambushing you like that. I didn't know."

"It's all good," Edward said. "Guess where my mother is right now?"

"Where?"

"In Indianapolis taking care of my father." Edward smiled wryly, knowing the question that was coming.

"How do you feel about that?"

"Like I told my Uncle Carlisle, if she wants to play nursemaid to his sorry ass, who am I to object?"

Dr. Levy persisted. "Now tell me how you really feel, without the sarcasm."

"Maybe if she can forgive him for the way he hurt her, surely I can muster understanding—something."

"Will you be okay, even if he never owns up to the way he treated you?"

Edward thought about it for a moment. "I believe I will. I have to let it go sometime."

~888~

The first thing Edward did when he got home was call Bella. They were engaged now; they could talk about any subject that might have been uncomfortable before. He smiled when he heard her voice.

"Hey, baby," she said. "Guess what I'm doing?"

He happily played along. "What?"

"Staring at my ring." She giggled and his smile grew wider.

"So, you finally got around to doing that?"

"Yeah, since I couldn't wear it to work, I put it on the minute I got home from class."

"Is it a viable substitute for the real thing?"

"Pshh, hardly!"

He chuckled. "Good answer."

"Hey, how was your session with Dr. Levy?"

"You want the truth?"

"Always."

"In a word: devastating."

"Oh baby, why?"

"He did this confrontational therapy thing he warned me about a couple of months ago that I'd forgotten all about. It was—not pretty."

"Did the end justify the means?"

"Yes."

"Then I forgive him for blindsiding you like that. Otherwise I might have had to hunt him down and junk-punch him for hurting my baby."

Edward laughed. "Says the preacher's daughter."

"I was a cop's daughter first. Why do I have to keep reminding you of this, Officer Cullen?"

"I didn't know you when you were a cop's daughter. But hey, I'll have to share this little exchange with Dr. Levy next session. I think he'd get a kick out of it."

"I feel like I know him almost as well as you do. I would like to meet him someday. Not in a professional capacity, mind you."

"Duly noted." He took a deep breath. "I love you, Bella. Thank you for loving me through all my crap."

"As my Grandpa Higgenbotham used to say, 'We all have crap, the only difference is the size of the load.' Of course, he said it in much more colorful terms. Anyway, I love you, too. I missed seeing you this afternoon, and it's only been a day."

"I miss you, too. Hopefully, it won't be long now before we have someone in custody. Captain Black approved the extra help, so there's three of us combing through old case files."

"That's good, right? It means we'll get our old lives back."

"Let's hope so."

"I can't wait 'til we can tell all our friends we're engaged. I'm going to love doing wedding stuff with Angela now."

"I'm sorry it has to be a secret. I wanted to shout it to the world the moment you said yes, but I had to settle for telling Dr. Levy. At least your parents know."

"You haven't called your mom, yet?"

"No, she'll call me when she's settled, I'm sure, and I guess I'll tell her then. I just hate keeping the rest of the family in the dark. Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle were more parental to me than my own parents."

"You do what feels comfortable. We're not going to say anything to Nana or Aunt Lonette for now, either."

"You know, the session today got me thinking."

"About?"

"Conversations we need to have now that we're engaged."

"My dad asked me all these questions at dinner tonight that got me thinking, too."

"Really? Like what?"

"Stuff that only a pastor would ask, like 'what about children?' and 'how will you handle finances?' and 'what are your conflict resolution styles?'"

"The latter two don't worry me so much, but the first one has me wondering. Do you really want to have children with me? They could be troubled at the very least, considering my dysfunctional gene pool. And I didn't have a great example, as you know."

"Edward... Baby, I have no doubt you'll be a phenomenal father someday, and yes, I want to have your babies, but can we just do a lot of what it takes to make them first—I mean, as a test run?"

Edward's heart felt like it might explode, he loved this woman so much. "Yeah, we will do a LOT of what it takes to make babies. I promise you that."

~888~

It was surprising to Bella when a month passed so quickly; she and Edward were reeling. While they had daily phone conversations after work, the physical separation was excruciating. Initially, their friends who were not privy to their secret were stymied about their mutual decision to give each other "space." Bella was torn about it in the beginning, but she even decided to withhold the truth from Angela. She knew if she told Angela, then Ben would have to be told, and both she and Edward felt that the less people who knew, the easier it would be to contain the secret. Eventually, the questions ceased, and they settled into acceptance.

Rosalie had taken to Edward's old position like a duck to water. The parents and children in the community warmed to her quickly, and they fell into a comfortable routine.

They were beginning to relax and almost believed the stalkers had given up. Bella was about to dismiss the children for the day one Friday, when Trey Jackson, a sixth grader, approached her.

"Ms. Bella?" She noticed that he was holding a red envelope. "This dude gave me five dollars and asked me to give this to you when it was time to go home."

Bella flushed, not sure if she should take the envelope or not. "What dude, Trey?"

"I don't know." He said it so fast it sounded like "I own no."

Bile rose in her throat, and she felt like she wanted to hurl, but she realized she had to hold it together for the children. She decided to dismiss everyone first. "Hold on just a second, Trey."

She raised her voice, hoping it didn't give away how nervous she was. "Okay guys, that's it for today. See you all tomorrow after school." She took her place at the door as they filed out, putting her hand on Trey's shoulder and holding him in place as the other children left.

She could see that Rosalie was off patrol and had taken her place in the parking lot, watching the children disperse.

After the last child filed out, Bella faced Trey. With a shaky hand, she reached for the envelope, watching him carefully. His eyebrows were in his hairline, and she realized her behavior might have him thinking he was in trouble. "Trey, you didn't do anything wrong, okay?" He nodded vigorously. "I need you to go ask Officer Hale to come back in now, please."

Trey took off toward the parking lot, and Bella almost collapsed when she stepped away from the door. Sean was closest to her and rushed over to steady her.

"Bella... Bella, what...?" He could see the fear and anguish in her face. Then he saw the creepy red envelope, and he knew.

He supported her by the elbow, and she held onto his forearm and pushed the letter into his hand. Maria and Demetri surrounded her seconds later, and Bella latched onto Maria like she was a life preserver.

"What happened?" Demetri asked, looking from Sean to Bella.

"It's just like the other one," Bella babbled, as Maria patted her back and made shushing noises. "Why don't they leave me alone? He's gone. He's not here—don't they know?"

"You want me to open it?" Sean asked softly.

"We should probably wait for Officer Hale," Maria answered for her.

Mrs. Williams, who had been with her longer than any of the volunteers, came over and slid between her and Maria. She put her arm around Bella's waist and walked her into her office. The volunteers all shared a look and then followed them inside.

"It's gon' be all right, baby," Mrs. Williams soothed. She walked Bella to her desk chair and helped her to sit down. "You need me to call Pastor Swan?"

Bella shook her head again. "Let's wait for Ro... Officer Hale," she managed to whisper.

Sean set the envelope on Bella's desk and stepped back from it like it was poison, or something. Mrs. Williams stood behind Bella's chair massaging her shoulders, as she tried to control her emotions by breathing deeply.

Rosalie stalked into the office, Trey trailing behind her. She took in the tension in the room, and then she followed everyone's gaze to the red envelope on Bella's desk.

She fished into her back pocket and retrieved a pair of latex gloves. Finding a letter opener in the pencil cup on Bella's desk, Rosalie sliced the flap open carefully.

Gingerly unfolding it by the corners, she laid the paper flat on the desk, and then motioned to Trey. "Maria, would you take Trey into the common room and wait there with him, please?"

Bella found her voice to add, "And please find his mother and let her know what's going on."

Reading the letter upside down as Rosalie studied it, the hairs stood up on the back of her neck and Bella lost the battle with the bile. She scurried quickly to her bathroom and lost her lunch, unfortunately, in the sink. Mrs. Williams was close behind her, rubbing her back, and holding her hair as the contents of her stomach clogged the sink. Tears sprang to her eyes as she continued to retch when nothing was left in her stomach.

She helped Bella sit on the lid of the toilet when it seemed the episode was over and then poured mouthwash in the bottle cap and handed it to Bella, who accepted it gratefully. No stranger to bodily fluids, Mrs. Williams, a retired Certified Nursing Assistant, donned rubber gloves and made quick work of cleaning the sink. After that was done, she gave Bella some privacy to clean her teeth and wash her face.

When Bella emerged from the bathroom, she saw Rosalie had bagged the letter and was on the phone. "Please have Officer Cullen call me immediately," she said grimly, ending the call and holding the chair while Bella sat down.

Demetri, Sean, and Mrs. Williams were still in the office, varying shades of emotion on their faces. Trey's mother had arrived, and Maria was talking quietly with her in the common room. Rosalie addressed the volunteers.

"Did any of you see any strange cars or people lurking around today?"

Nobody had.

"Could you guys stick around until Officer Cullen and his team gets here? I'm sure they'll have questions for you, and quite a few for Trey."

"Sure," Sean said eagerly as Demetri and Mrs. Williams nodded.

"I'll prepare the common room for Monday while we wait, Bella," Mrs. Williams said.

The note had given Bella quite a scare. She looked like she was a million miles away.

Rosalie nodded on Bella's behalf.

"We'll help, Mrs. W.," Demetri offered, and he and Sean followed Mrs. Williams out of the office, closing the door behind them.

Rosalie strode over to Bella and knelt until she was eye-level with her. "Bella?"

"Y-yeah."

"You okay?"

"I guess about as okay as I can be after someone has threatened to disembowel me and strip me of the ability to bear children." Her attempt at a joke fell flat.

"Bella, listen to me. That is not going to happen, you hear me?" Rosalie's eyes were hard as flint.

Bella fought back tears. "Okay."

Rosalie took both her shaking hands and squeezed them. "Now, you need to be prepared to see Edward, and you can't be like this or he'll freak the fuck out. What's it been, three weeks since you've seen him in the flesh?"

"Four," Bella said with a faintly bemused expression.

Rosalie smirked, trying to lighten the mood. "Try not to jump his bones, okay? Somebody could be watching."

~888~

A shadowed form moved unnoticed through the common room into the hall where the children's restrooms were located, pleased the others bought the excuse to leave the room. Closing the first available door and locking it, a cell phone was pulled out and a well-used number was speed-dialed.

"It was delivered."

"Oh really?" The person's sadistic pleasure was evident.

"Yeah, she lost her shit. Cullen and his team are on the way."

"Watch them closely. See if he's really kicked her ass to the curb, or if their break-up is just a smokescreen."

"I'm betting she refused to leave town like the other women in his family." A low chuckle echoed in the small space. "She's a spunky little thing."

"If I didn't know you better, I'd think even you've become an admirer of little Miss Swan. Maybe you always were."

Denial was swift – almost too swift. "Puh-lease. I'd better get back out there before that bitch cop comes out here and wonders where I am."

"Report back to me as soon as you can."

"It'll probably be an in-person report. I can't see this interrogation lasting very long. No way the kid recognized you."

"Okay, I'll have a reward for you later."

There was a lascivious smile. "I was counting on that."

~888~

**E/N:** **Queue the cheesy dramatic music: Dun, dun, dun! Review and let me know who you think the stalkers are! And what do you think Edward will do?**

This chapter title comes from a Jeff Buckley song. The following is an excerpt of the lyrics:

**Lover, You Should Have Come Over**

**By Jeff Buckley**

Maybe I'm too young  
To keep good love from going wrong  
But tonight, you're on my mind so  
You never know

Broken down and hungry for your love  
With no way to feed it  
Where are you tonight?  
Child, you know how much I need it.  
Too young to hold on  
And too old to just break free and run

Sometimes a man gets carried away,  
When he feels like he should be having his fun  
Much too blind to see the damage he's done  
Sometimes a man must awake to find that, really,  
He has no-one...

So I'll wait for you... And I'll burn  
Will I ever see your sweet return?  
Oh, will I ever learn?  
Oh, Lover, you should've come over  
Cause it's not too late.


	34. Ch 33 TLC:Just Like A Star Across My Sky

**A/N: These ladies make TLC the absolute best it can be: SSHG316, SavageWoman and Irritable Grizzzly. I would probably look amateurish if it weren't for the expertise each of them bring to polishing my crude musings. For this chapter, I'd like especially to thank Nicnicd who is pinch-hitting for SavageWoman this go-round. She is also a woman after my own heart **

**Just Like A Star**

**by Corinne Bailey Rae**

Just like a star across my sky, just like an angel off the page

You have appeared to my life, feel like I'll never be the same

Just like a song in my heart, just like oil on my hands

Oh, I do love you.

**"****When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place; what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?"**

— **Psalm 8:3-4**

**Chapter 33 — Just Like A Star Across My Sky**

Edward and his team descended on the Center, lights flashing, sirens disengaged. His jaw was set firmly as he entered the building, flanked by Officers Clearwater and Shoals, carrying evidence kits, fingerprint kits and interrogation pads. Edward struggled to keep his face impassive, but he scanned the room greedily for Bella, who was sitting at a table between Maria and Mrs. Williams. He could tell from her expression that she'd been shaken by the letter, but was trying valiantly not to show it. Their eyes met, and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to rush over and take her into his arms and comfort her.

Rosalie greeted them at the door. "Officers," she said somberly, and handed the bagged, offending red letter directly to Edward. His stomach sank as he read the vile things the stalkers threatened to do to the woman he loved. He looked at Bella again and had to dig deep to remain professional and begin the investigation process.

He rattled off orders. "Seth, please interview the male volunteers, Sean and Demetri, over in that corner. Alvin, you can take the two female volunteers, Mrs. Williams and Maria. Rosalie, I'd like you to debrief me in the office with Ms. Swan, and then, with his mother's consent, we can interview Trey together."

Edward approached the table and spoke to Trey and his mom, while Rosalie escorted Bella back into her office. He was thankful that Rosalie had gotten his cue to sequester Bella for a few minutes, because he really needed to just hold her and reassure her, and that couldn't be done out in the open.

He offered a hand to Mrs. Thompson, Trey's mom, who shook his weakly, grave concern riddling her work-worn face.

"Mrs. Thompson, I'm Officer Cullen. I was the liaison here about a month ago."

"I remember you," she said. "Trey and the kids here liked having you around... but I think they enjoy looking at Officer Hale just a little bit better."

Her attempt at humor surprised him. Edward smiled in agreement. "Officer Hale is much easier on the eyes." He quickly advised her of the process. "In a few minutes, Officer Hale and I will bring you and Trey into the office to ask him some questions. I have a release form that you'll need you to sign before that happens."

He strode over to the table where Seth was already talking with Demetri and Sean, and took a sheet of paper from a stack and handed it to Mrs. Thompson. "Please read this and sign if you agree to the conditions. If you have any questions, I'll answer them all when I return."

Edward winked at Trey whose eyes were as big as saucers. "You didn't do anything wrong, Trey. We're just trying to do all we can to find out who sent the note to Ms. Swan, okay?"

"Okay," Trey said, and he visibly relaxed. Edward smiled again at them both, then turned and headed for Bella's office door.

He tapped just for protocol, and opened before there was an answer, closing the door behind him, and locking it.

Rosalie and Bella were sitting in the two chairs in front of her desk, but she was up and in his arms before his hand left the doorknob. It had been too long since he'd held her. The only thing he could compare the sensation to was when he'd seen guys return to their loved ones when they'd been deployed overseas. He'd never had anyone waiting for him when he'd returned from his tours. At last, he felt like he could breathe easy now.

"Are you okay, baby?"

"I am now," she said softly.

"We're going to get to the bottom of this, I swear."

"I have no doubt," she said with a determination that matched his.

Whoever these sick fucks were, they had to go down. He didn't want Bella living in fear anymore, and the separation was driving him crazy. Captain Black wasn't as keen anymore about the extra manpower, and had given him a deadline of sorts a week prior. He hoped this new development would convince him they needed more time.

Carlisle and Jasper had been patient about the separation from their wives, but they were also ready to have Esme and Alice back home. His mother, oddly, was the only one not anxious to come back, and he didn't have the time or energy to ask why. Bella was his priority right now. Truth be told, if his mother were in town, his concentration would be split. He needed to focus all his energies and the considerable resources of the TPD on capturing the perpetrators as quickly as humanly possible, because this was getting ridiculous.

Edward and Rosalie's interrogation of Trey yielded a similarly vague description to the one he'd gotten from the doorman at the condo, but was still not enough for a positive identification, and he pushed Trey a little harder after he and Rosalie took his initial statement.

"Is there anything else you remember about this guy that you can tell us, Trey? Anything at all?" Edward pressed.

"Uh... he looked funny and acted kinda weird," Trey said.

"Weird and funny how?" Rosalie interjected.

"You know, funny, like... not like a dude. And he had fingernail polish on."

Edward's mind traveled back to all the previous incidents and descriptions, and even his own personal sighting of the stalker. He'd definitely seen a guy, but could there also be woman involved? A female with a slight build could dress appropriately and pawn herself off as a male.

"What was his voice like?" Edward asked anxiously.

Trey frowned. "He talked soft like me and some of my friends before their voices changed."

Rosalie looked at Edward, realizing where he was going with his line of questioning, and fired another one of her own. "If this person hadn't been wearing jeans, Nikes, a jersey, and a baseball cap, do you think it could have been a woman?"

Thinking so hard his eyes squinted, Trey finally answered, "Yeah, he was kinda pretty to be a dude. And he wore some of that black stuff on his eyelashes and around his eyes... you know like them rock stars wear."

Rosalie smirked. "Mascara and eyeliner?"

"Yeah! I was like, 'this dude must think he the lead singer for Green Day or Fall Out Boy.' "

"They both wear a lot of eyeliner," Edward agreed, and then he let up on Trey a little so he could relax. Maybe then they would be able to get a little more information out of him. "You like those bands, Trey?"

He looked shy. "Yeah, but don't say nothing about it. My friends will just make fun of me. They all like rap."

"It's okay to like rock music. Chuck Berry and Jimi Hendrix are legends. Slash and Lenny Kravitz are awesome rockers, too. Do you play?"

"Yeah, my mama got me a used electric guitar last Christmas."

"I don't know how smart that was," Mrs. Thompson said sheepishly. "Sometimes I can't even think over the racket, and Officer Hale been over twice for noise complaints."

Edward glanced at Rosalie, who just turned her hands up and shrugged. He gave Mrs. Thompson some unsolicited advice. "Let him practice anyway, but just have him turn the volume way down, or play without the amp, especially at night."

"Sometimes, I make up songs"—Trey stole a look at his mom—"after I'm supposed to be in bed." Mrs. Thompson tried to look stern, but a smile formed anyway.

"Keep writing your own music," Edward encouraged. "I wouldn't be surprised if we aren't coming to one of your concerts in ten years." He ran his hand over Trey's head, ruffling his tiny dreads. "Okay, so when he walked away, which direction did he go?"

"He walked back across Texas street."

"Did you see a car where he was headed?" Rosalie asked.

"Um...not sure. I didn't see him come in a car, or leave in a car, but I started playing with my friends after he left."

Edward stood up. "Think, Trey. Were there any cars parked on the street while you were talking to this guy, or immediately after he left?"

"Yeah, there was a gold car parked on the other side of Texas Street, but I didn't see that dude get in it. I wasn't paying too much attention after he gave me the five dollars. "

Rosalie and Edward shared another look. Bingo!

Edward smiled at Trey. "Thanks, man. You've helped us out a lot." He addressed Mrs. Thompson again. "I think that'll be all for now. If we have any further questions, we have your phone number, so we'll just give you guys a call, if you don't mind."

Mrs. Thompson and Trey stood up too, and she snaked her arm around her son's shoulder, who was already about an inch taller than she was. "Call us anytime. Thanks Officer Cullen, Officer Hale."

"No, thank you," Edward insisted. The Thompsons left Bella's office and closed the door.

Rosalie said exactly what he was thinking: "Looks like one of our perps might just be a woman."

~888~

All Edward wanted to do after he left the precinct was to go home, eat the sodium-laden take-out that was nowhere near as good as Bella's cooking, and work on the case. When he entered the foyer, George the doorman, was there, and he took the opportunity to ask him a few more questions, just to see if he shared Trey's assessment of the stalker.

"Do you remember anything else about the description, dress, or demeanor of the person who delivered the note to Ms. Swan?"

George thought for a few seconds. "Well, he acted kind of fruity."

"Can you elaborate?"

"You know, I'm not homophobic or anything, but he had kind of a feminine air about him, if you know what I mean?"

"Yeah," Edward said. "I know exactly what you mean. Thanks, George."

This was the best solid lead they'd had in weeks. Now all he had to do was concentrate on the females associated with the cases he'd been involved in, and they were few and far between. He felt like they could narrow things down fairly quickly, given this new information. For the first time in weeks, he felt good about the direction things were going with the case, and he was anxious to get started.

Looking down at the take-out bag in his hand, he felt kind of weird to be eating alone again, and on a Friday night, no less. He missed having meals with Bella at the condo. He missed seeing her in the flesh every day after work, and he definitely missed their steamy little make-out sessions. Since she'd been gone, he'd ignored his need until it became so painful he couldn't endure it, and then he'd take a shower, take care of business, and resume his routine. After seeing Bella briefly at the Center earlier, his libido was back, and all he could think of was having her hands, her mouth, her anything on him…anywhere.

He left his dinner on the bar in the kitchen and headed straight to the shower. He was just seconds out and toweling himself off when his cell phone rang. He grabbed a pair of sweats and pulled them on commando. Hell, he wasn't going anywhere. There was a time when he wouldn't have been caught dead at home on a Friday night, but this had become his life. He answered his phone mid-third ring.

"Hey, bro!"

Emmett.

"What's up?" he asked as he loosely tied the drawstring on his sweats.

"You should come out to the house tonight, man. We're grilling, and Rosie feels sorry that all the women in your life are either out of town or on lockdown."

"I've got work, and considering everything that happened today, I can't spare a minute—"

"Like hell you can't. Let that snooty doorman know I'm coming up."

"You're downstairs?"

"Parking the car right now."

Emmett was knocking on his door in less than five minutes. When he opened it, Edward tried not to look less-than-enthused to see his friend.

Eyeing his sweats, Emmett said, "You're really slumming it for a Friday night, dude. I remember a time when you'd be dressed to the nines and ready for happy hour and hotties."

"Well, this hour's not too happy without Bella, and she's the only hottie I'm interested in seeing any day of the week."

Emmett strolled in and sat down on the sofa. "So I understand. You know, you were the first person I told when I asked Rose to marry me, but I had to hear that shit about you and Bella secondhand and several weeks after it happened. Not cool." Emmett looked righteously indignant.

Edward rolled his eyes and ambled over to the bar where his take-out was getting cold. "Rosalie could have told you sooner. I didn't tell her not to." He glanced up at Emmett, who was looking like someone had kicked his puppy. "I know I should have told you myself, but we haven't made a formal announcement yet, anyway. You know what's been consuming our time—surely Rose has kept you up-to-speed on that."

"Yeah, well... It's just...aw, hell; I'm sounding like a fucking chick." Emmett shook his head as if to clear it.

Edward chuckled. "With PMS even. Just take a couple of Rosalie's Midol and call me in the morning," he teased.

"Okay, so we're cool, then?" Emmett stood, eyeing him nervously.

"Yeah, as long as you don't ask me to hold you until you stop cramping." Edward picked up an eggroll and took a bite out of it, but almost dropped it when Emmett yelled, "Don't eat that shit. Didn't I tell you we're grilling at the house?"

Edward chewed quickly and swallowed. "But I'm not eating at your house tonight."

Emmett took a few hurried steps over to him and yanked the eggroll out of his hand.

"What the hell is wrong with you, man? Don't you know you shouldn't be messing with people's food like that? Geez!" Edward snatched his eggroll back and devoured the rest of it in one bite.

Emmett picked up the bag, took it to the refrigerator, and deposited it inside. Then he stood in front of the door with his arms folded across his chest. "Go and get your ass dressed. Rosalie's made all kinds of sides... you're coming to eat at our house, and that's final."

Edward considered wrestling Emmett to get to his food back, but he really wasn't up for any physical altercations with his friend, who bested him by an inch and a half, and about forty pounds. He turned on his heel and headed to his bedroom.

"You're a persistent bastard," Edward threw over his shoulder as he went to get dressed.

"And Rose loves it," Emmett said. Edward knew without looking that Emmett was grinning so hard his dimples were engraved in his cheeks.

~888~

Edward argued briefly about taking his own car, but Emmett insisted he'd drive him out and bring him back. On the ride to Crawfordville in the Hummer, Emmett had him laughing so hard at his antics, Edward felt like his sides were splitting. His friend had been able to help him see the light side of situations since they were kids. However, in the last few minutes of their trip, Edward became so preoccupied with his cell phone, Emmett asked him what was up.

"I texted Bella just after we left the condo, and she still hasn't texted back."

"So?"

"It's Friday night. She doesn't have class, and it's almost dinnertime. She should be home."

"Give her a few minutes," Emmett advised. "I'm sure she'll text back. Obsessed much?"

Edward smiled ruefully in spite of himself. "I guess the letter today's got me keyed up, but I'm sure her mom or dad would call me if anything was going on."

Emmett pulled into his winding driveway and parked. "Now get your anxious ass out of my car."

"See, I knew I should have driven my own car, because there you go talking smack."

They got out and started up the walkway. As they approached, the front door swung open. Thinking it was Rosalie, Edward began talking before he looked up.

"You know, you really ought to teach this second cousin to the Neanderthals some manners..." He scanned the woman standing in the doorway and blinked. "Bella?"

She was there in the flesh and wearing a smile only for him. "As long as he doesn't make you behave like his third cousin, I'm good," she quipped. Edward ran, swept her up into his arms, and kissed her so thoroughly, he was embarrassed for both of them. Emmett nudged them into the house, shutting and locking the door behind them.

~888~

It was all they could do to make it through dinner and a movie with Emmett and Rosalie before they began to get antsy. Edward was cuddled with Bella on the sofa and wasn't even altogether sure what the movie was about. Their hands were on each other the whole time, rubbing, caressing, massaging, becoming familiar with one another again. Bella touched him everywhere—his arms, his chest, his stomach, sending tiny waves of sensation through his body. Her hands were curious, like this was new to both of them.

Edward reciprocated modestly in kind. He felt the need to hold her and keep her close, because who knew when they would get an opportunity like this again? With the threats to her intensifying, it made him want to scrap standard operating procedure, protocol, and plain common sense, and never leave her side. They were careful to keep their exploration all PG-13. Rosalie and Emmett were great hosts, but they were both ready to take their party into the guest bedroom.

The minute the credits began to roll, they both shot up off the sofa and made excuses.

"I'm really kind of tired... " Bella began.

"It's been a long day... " Edward said simultaneously.

Emmett and Rosalie looked up at them and cracked up.

Bella hid behind Edward, blushing. Edward smiled sheepishly and apologized.

"Your company is great, but we haven't had any alone time in over a month... sorry."

"Go on you two," Rosalie said. "I've shown Bella where everything is."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Emmett teased. "I left some essentials in the bathroom for you, bro.

Edward flipped him one, took Bella's hand, and headed off to the guest room.

They practically ran into the room. Within seconds of the door closing behind them, Edward had Bella plastered up against it, kissing and tearing off clothes. It became a race to see who could undress whom first. They were both topless and shucked down to their underwear with pants pooled around their feet as they kissed and touched like the maniacs they'd become during their forced separation.

The flavor of her moments ago had been inciting him to frenzied passion, but now the love he felt for her was calming him to reverence. This was the woman who had helped him discover that he was a man of worth, despite the sordidness of his past. This was the woman, who was his everything, who would become his wife, the mother of his children. She deserved to be worshipped.

Edward was humbled by the realization that what flared between them went beyond sex. He freed them from the tangle of clothing at their feet, lifting her leg over his hip, cupping her bottom, and molding them together.

He carried her to the bed, laid her gently down, and slid into her waiting arms, kissing a trail from her lips to her neck and down her stomach.

"God, I've missed you. I love you so much, Bella," he mumbled against her skin.

~888~

Bella had never felt more loved. Just remembering the powerful intimacy of the night they'd shared together, she found herself blushing furiously even though Edward wasn't awake to witness it. Remembering the intense emotion with each kiss they'd shared, each caress, charged like electric shocks, she could almost feel them again.

She had felt the potent need inside him, but he had held himself in check as always, as promised. It seemed it was even more important to him now that they wait until they declared their love to the world. Just as before, he had followed her lead, only doing what was comfortable for her. He'd assured her again that whatever she offered would be enough for him, because having her in his arms, safe and unharmed, eclipsed everything. However, she was even more confident that when they finally came together, it would be explosive.

Edward slept like the dead, and he had her pinned down with an arm and a leg. She moved carefully to face him, and while she didn't want to wake him, she couldn't resist touching him now that she was awake.

She brushed her fingers over the stubble on his jaw and finally ran her fingers lightly through his hair. He shifted a bit, and she raised her head so she was level with his lips and kissed him softly. Without opening his eyes, he reached out with both arms and pulled her close to his chest.

"I'm ready to do this forever," he said.

She smiled. "What?"

"Wake up with you in my arms."

Bella's grin widened considerably. "Me, too. I wish we could stay like this. No one would think to look for us here. But I know we can't hide out at Emmett and Rosalie's forever."

He put a finger under her chin and raised her face up. "I'm going to find whoever is doing this and put them away. I hate that these stalkers have stolen our ability to enjoy being engaged."

"Yeah, I love talking to you on the phone every day, but seeing you, being with you like this, is way better."

"I know, and I've been thinking. After this is all over, I don't want us to have a long engagement."

Bella looked surprised. "Really?"

Edward held her closer. "I don't want to go back to us living apart, even if it's just during the week."

"You know what this means, right?"

"What?"

"I'm going to have to employ Alice to be our wedding planner, pregnancy hormones and all. She's the only person I know who can do it on that short notice."

He groaned, but smiled through it. "She's going to make our lives a living hell for a couple of months."

Bella gasped. "A couple of months? Is that even possible?"

Edward didn't look fazed. "I'd really like to do it the day this mess is over, but I thought that would be a little too short of notice."

"Yeah, that would be, even for my mother, who's only been saving for her only daughter's wedding for about twenty years."

"Then there's no reason to wait. I say let's order the invitations the day the case is solved."

Bella giggled huskily. "Anxious, are we?"

"Yes, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm ready to share my love, my name, my life with you, forever."

Edward kissed her before any errant happy tears could escape her eyes.

~888~

**E/N:** The spring is coiled. The next three chapters are already written, so you should get a chapter a week until this baby ends. It is bittersweet, but so glad finally to be there. However, we're not quite done yet. I still have two FGB pieces to write, so you'll see a little more of Copward and his Bella once the WIP is over.

This chapter is named for the song "Just Like A Star" by Corinne Bailey Rae. I know you guys have probably figured out by now, I love her with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns!

I'm also going to post a **seven-chapter story** next month, which began as a one-shot for a recent contest. **It will post daily for seven days** and there won't be a weekly wait for updates. Put me on author alerts if you're interested.


	35. Ch 34 TLC: Things Fall Apart

**A/N: These ladies make TLC the absolute best it can be: SSHG316, SavageWoman and Irritable Grizzzly. I would probably look very foolish if it weren't for the expertise**** they each bring to making this story great. Much love and affection to Nicnicd, who is pinch-hitting for SavageWoman while she's on the mend.**

**"A proud heart can survive general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone."  
- Chinua Achebe, **_**Things Fall Apart**_**, Ch. 3**

**Chapter 34 — Things Fall Apart**

After having spent an idyllic weekend experiencing the sensory wipeout that was her fiancé, Bella rode to work on Monday morning with Rosalie and thanked her profusely for their hospitality...again.

"Edward and I owe you and Emmett big-time for this weekend. Thanks so much."

Rosalie waved her off. "It was nothing. We had a great time, too. Em was missing his best friend, and you've kind of grown on me..." She tried hard to look impassively nonchalant, but Bella detected the beginnings of an embarrassed smirk on her face.

Her friend's discomfort with her gushing thanks aside, Bella couldn't resist ribbing her. "Why Rosalie Hale McCarty, I'm touched."

"It was the least I could do. You were in serious need of some Edward therapy, chica."

Bella agreed wholeheartedly. "And how."

As they pulled into the Center parking lot, dispatch was asking Rosalie to respond to a physical altercation between two youths on the property. Bella saw Sean and Maria's cars already in the lot.

"If you want to go on and take care of that, I'll be fine. Looks like Sean and Maria are already here."

"I'll sit here until you get to the door." Rosalie could be Edward's twin when it came to following safety protocol.

"Okay," Bella said, smiling ruefully. "But hurry—some of my kids could be in trouble." She grabbed her purse and briefcase, quickly exited the cruiser, and was about fifteen feet from her office door when she waved Rosalie away. There was a flashing of red and blue lights, the crunch of tires on the pavement, and then she sped off.

Bella was about to put her key into her office door when she looked up and saw James running toward her with a very determined look on his face. Time seemed to go into slow motion. Fear gripped her as her heart pounded into overdrive. Her eyes widened and her skin prickled involuntarily. Had she been wrong about him?

"Bella, get down!" he screamed.

Like hitting fast-forward on a remote, several things happened simultaneously. First, she glanced in the other direction and saw Laurent and a blond, greasy-haired man approaching. Instinctively, she got the door open and literally fell into her office. James took a flying leap and kicked her two would-be assailants to the ground, and Maria and Sean came running into her office to see what all the commotion was about.

Bella struggled to stand and moved further into the office on her knees as she heard the landing of blows. She wasn't at all sure who was besting whom, but she couldn't stop to find out as she quickly speed-dialed Edward. As the phone rang, she yelled to Sean, "Help James if you can, but be careful!"

Maria began hurling what could only be expletives in Portuguese, and Sean ran out of the door, locking and closing it behind him. Maria offered Bella a hand, but she waved her off. "I'm all right. Just make sure the common room door is locked. "

Bella had almost forgotten she'd dialed Edward until she heard him screaming her name. She quickly put the phone back to her ear. "Baby, please come. Laurent and some guy are here...James and Sean are fighting with them outside..."

"Are you hurt?" he demanded, then began barking orders and running as he waited for her response.

"No, I'm fine. Hurry. I don't want James and Sean to get hurt."

"I'm on my way..." he assured her, and the phone went dead.

Maria came back as she was hoisting herself up off the floor, and she helped Bella over to the bench against the wall. They sat huddled together, terrified, listening to the sounds of struggling interspersed with foul language on the other side of the door. A few seconds later, there was the sound of a siren. It was too soon for it to be Edward, but maybe it was Rosalie. Bella hoped she was bringing backup.

Suddenly, there was the distinct sound of a gunshot, and a window in the common room shattering. Bella felt her blood run cold, but she wouldn't let the fear overtake her. The precautions instilled in her as a former cop's daughter kicked in, and she dropped to the floor, bringing Maria with her. Then Demetri yelled, "Hey, hey, hey..." and there was more scuffling.

A familiar voice joining the fray was both comforting and problematic. She was thankful that more help had arrived, but was afraid of another person being put in harm's way. Hopefully no one had been shot, and Demetri was helping James and Sean to subdue their attackers. It was agonizing hearing all that was going on outside, as she sat paralyzed by fear and worry. It seemed like forever before the sirens overwhelmed the melee.

"James..." Maria cried plaintively and tried to pull away, but Bella wouldn't let her go.

She was worried about James too, but they needed to keep a level head. "We should stay put until Rosalie or Edward give us the all clear," she said with a calmness that belied her true feelings.

Maria stopped struggling, and they sat side-by-side on the floor in front of the bench. Their fear was palpable, and Bella wondered if everyone they loved and cared about would survive this ordeal unscathed. Her adrenaline was so ramped up she was trembling, but Maria was almost hyperventilating.

"Breathe deeply," Bella instructed as she rubbed Maria's back. "James is a professional martial artist—he can take care of himself."

"I know," Maria said helplessly. "I just feel responsible. I asked him to come today so we could tell you something."

Despite the chaos surrounding them, she heard something in Maria's tone and grabbed onto the distraction. "Oh yeah?"

"James and I have been dating since a few days after your birthday."

Now Maria's strange behavior over the last several weeks made perfect sense. Bella was relieved that they'd finally followed her advice and gotten together. "Why were you afraid to tell me?"

"Because you broke up with Policia Cullen and you were so sad. I didn't want to rub it in."

"I think it's great news about you and James. Not to mention his coming here today probably kept us all from being hurt, or worse."

Finally, there was a key in the lock, and Bella and Maria scrambled up off the floor. Rosalie entered first, followed by a stern-looking Edward and a disheveled, but no-worse-for-the-wear, James. Bella ran to Edward as Maria flung herself into James's arms, whispering what sounded like urgent Portuguese endearments. Rosalie turned and went back outside, locking the door behind her.

"Is everyone okay?" Bella asked frantically.

Edward held her away and looked her over as if to make sure she was all right, and she appraised him in much the same way. "Yeah. Sean is being treated by the paramedics for some cuts and bruises, and Demetri is fine. He got here just in time to help. Rosalie and Officers Ricks and Cole from Indianhead acres responded about the same time and got everything under control."

"So, no one got shot?"

"No," Edward assured her. "James kicked the gun out of Laurent's hand and deflected the bullet. It just took out a window in the common room."

"I'm so glad the kids weren't here yet."

"I think he planned on you being here alone, given how early it was. The call to Rosalie was a hoax to make her leave before the other volunteers arrived."

They looked over at James and Maria, who were huddled together on the bench. Maria had grabbed a tissue off Bella's desk and was wetting the corner of it with her tongue and wiping smudges off James's face. They looked like there was no one in the world besides the two of them.

"Looks like someone's been busy since your birthday," Edward said with a grin.

"Apparently." Bella beamed and hugged him close again.

She felt overwhelming relief that everyone was okay. Her concern for Sean was tempered by the blessing that he'd come away without any life-threatening wounds, thanks to Demetri. She thanked God for looking out for the love of her life, and her friends.

The Center had been a crime scene twice in as many days, and Bella hoped the reign of fear was over. As she walked with Edward through the cacophony of the post-incident scene, she saw that a small crowd had amassed on the Center lawn, cordoned off behind the crime scene tape. Demetri nodded at her and Edward from where he was talking to one of the officers, undoubtedly giving his statement. Bella smiled and mouthed, "Thank you," to him as they went to the paramedics' wagon to check on Sean. Felix, the big guy who'd taken care of Alice, was putting some butterfly bandages on his forehead.

Bella went from station to station with Edward as he made sure that statements were taken, evidence gathered, perpetrators hauled off to jail, and the injured received medical care. She held his hand a little tighter, afraid that if she let it go, it would all dissipate as a vaguely-remembered dream.

Sensing her unease, he held her closer and planted kisses in her hair and on her temple. He seemed unconcerned if anyone saw them now, since the perpetrators had been taken into custody. Edward hadn't let her down yet, and she knew she'd made the right choice to marry this man who would always love and protect her.

They were so caught up in the chaos, that neither of them paid attention as one of the stalkers watched their every move with interest. A hurried text was sent to a cohort:

**A local drug dealer just made our job easier. **

**We should be able to make our move within the week.**

~888~

Captain Black, and everyone else at the precinct, felt that the case was solved, and at face-value, it looked that way to Edward as well. They'd apprehended two suspects, and all the evidence pointed to two perps. Laurent's partner, one Brad Sanders, was one of his dealers, who also happened to fit the description of the guy Edward had wounded at Emmett and Rosalie's wedding.

But the more he thought about it, and looked at the evidence, the more he had the feeling it wasn't over.

Sanders had a bullet wound, but high on his torso, and not in either shoulder. Also, he had a slight build, and might have been the person that Trey and George had gotten the letters from, but Edward doubted it. He would get them in to see if they'd pick him out of a lineup. If either one identified Brad, it would disprove the theory that one of them was female, and Edward would feel comfortable they'd caught the right men. Until that time, however, he'd remain uneasy.

Despite his misgivings, Captain Black was leaning toward declaring the case closed. Edward tried to convince him otherwise, but he wouldn't budge.

"Officer Cullen, we have Beauvoir, who assaulted Ms. Swan once, and tried unsuccessfully a second time. His associate matches the description of the guy you wounded, and who delivered the letters. Beauvoir's car is the right color, and the first few letters of his license plate are a match. If your doorman or that little boy fingers Sanders, I'm closing the case."

"If they don't, it means there were more than two suspects involved, or we've got the wrong people in custody. Beauvoir maintains that he was just going to scare Bella because I knocked his ass out at the festival, which I'm not sure I buy, given that he was in possession of a weapon. I just think we need to make sure."

"We've done all we can do here. I'm just as anxious as you are to put away the right people for this. Bella is like one of my own, but neither of us can allow our personal feelings to dictate how we handle this case. If we're wrong, the Chief will have my ass."

"This has nothing to do with my personal feelings. If we're wrong, Bella could still be in danger, or could possibly lose her life."

"I can't authorize extending this investigation simply based on some kid, and a doorman who was probably too busy to get a good look at the perp, when we already have two suspects in custody, and they fit the bill."

Edward realized that he couldn't sway Captain Black with theories. He'd have to get something concrete fast. "At the very least, I can return to duty at the Center tomorrow, right?"

"Not so fast. You know it doesn't work like that. You've got a shitload of paperwork and loose ends to tie up, so I suggest you hop to it."

~888~

When Edward entered the condo, Bella was padding around in the kitchen in her bare feet, listening to her iPod and making his grandmother's lasagna. The scene made him almost feel like things were back to normal. He wished it had always, and would always, be like this—him coming home from a day of work, seeing her happy and content, doing something she loved.

Today's events were a stark reminder that nothing was normal about the way they'd existed over the last several months. His heart had leapt into his throat earlier when he'd heard the commotion going on, and she hadn't responded right away to him calling her name. Then dispatch had reported shots fired as he'd approached the Center, and he'd struggled to retain his composure. His terror was not eased until they had secured the perimeter and he was able to ascertain that she was inside the building and most likely unharmed. Even then, he couldn't relax until he'd laid eyes on her.

That thought made him eager to hold her again, and he quickly went and hugged her from behind. She was briefly startled, but then turned eagerly into his arms. God, he loved her.

She was still jumpy from their ordeal, and he hated that the kiss they shared reflected all they'd been through that day. He vowed to remain vigilant until he was sure the right people were in custody.

He wondered how she had gotten to the condo, when he had specifically asked Rosalie to drop her off at her parents' house when he left for the precinct.

"How did you get here?"

"My dad dropped me off," she said guiltily. "I wanted to drive myself, but he wouldn't give me my keys. He thought I should stay there until you came for me, but I insisted he bring me here."

"It might have been just as well if you had stayed there..." He gestured to the stack of files on the bar he'd brought home with him.

"I'll watch you work until it's time for bed. I just didn't want to be away from you another minute, now that the stalkers have been apprehended."

She looked so happy, he hated to ruin it, but he had to tell her. "Baby, I don't think we have all of them."

Fear returned to her eyes. "What?"

He told her about Trey and George's assessment of the perp who'd delivered the letter, and how the bullet wound to Laurent's partner wasn't in the right place.

Bella listened attentively as he warned her that they still needed to be careful, and the security protocol wouldn't change much until they could be sure. She was scared, of course, but he hoped that her knowing he was looking out for her would make her feel marginally better. He would move heaven and earth to keep her safe.

Sliding her arms around his waist, she said, "I trust your judgment, baby. I want us to be sure." Then she stepped back. "Oh no! I need to call my mom and tell her not to order those invitations."

Edward grinned in spite of himself. He much preferred this change of subject, if only to see her happy again. She'd taken his suggestion to heart and had actually begun the process of planning their wedding. "What date did you two settle on?"

Bella blushed. "New Year's Day," she said, and then hastened to add, "That's exactly two months from now."

"Let's keep it," he said. "It'll be my incentive to wrap this up even quicker."

After he showered, they sat down to dinner alone for the first time in more than a month. It felt close-to-normal again, but somehow he knew they weren't quite there. Even so, he was happy they were finally getting a chance to move in that direction. They had overcome so many obstacles in the time they'd been together, and this gave him hope that they would return quickly to the routine they'd established before.

He offered to clean up the kitchen, but Bella insisted he get on with his work.

He went into his office and dove in, finishing up the majority of the paperwork by ten P.M. Earlier, he'd asked George to come by the police station the next day to see if he could pick Sanders out of a lineup. He'd also called Trey's mother and asked her to bring him by after school.

Convinced neither of them would say it was Sanders, he decided to explore a different approach. Assuming it was a woman in her mid-twenties as Trey and George had described, he figured it might be the daughter of someone from one of his former cases, out for revenge. He began the tedious process of narrowing them down.

He found a grand total of three possibilities. One was a small-time mobster he'd taken down in Terre Haute, but his daughter was a brunette, and Amazonian. Then there was a dirty lawyer who'd murdered his wife and his law partner after discovering their affair. His daughter was Bree. She was the right age, twenty-six, though he wasn't sure about her hair color.

The final one was his most recent case, Bishop Aro Volturi, former Cult Leader for The Church of the Greater Son. His daughter, Jane, was twenty-seven, and most definitely blonde. When he was thirteen and a member of COGS, she was the one they'd paired him up with to be his future wife. He was thankful for escaping that fiasco when he was shipped off to live with his father. It was funny how you could dodge one bullet in life only to be nailed by another. He could finally see what Paul and Bella wanted him to see. He would gladly go through all that shit again knowing he'd find Bella in the end.

He decided to call in a favor from some of his law enforcement buddies in Indiana to help him get a report on what Jane and Bree had been up to. In the meantime, he would glean as much information as he could from the internet.

It was after midnight when Bella found him in his office trolling the internet for information on Jane Volturi and Bree Tanner. He'd found tons of information on Bree, but hadn't been able to pinpoint where she was currently residing. Her last known address was in Gainesville.

Jane Volturi was an intern at a hospital in Chicago. Her facebook and MySpace, pages appeared sparse compared to others that had been up for the same amount of time.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes, and decided to get Alvin to help him with it tomorrow—he was tired and his beautiful fiancée was now standing behind him and running her fingers through his hair.

Edward swiveled around and saw her squinting at the computer screen.

"So that's Aro Volturi's daughter," she said. "She looks rather angelic to be the daughter of a gun-trafficking, money-laundering former cult leader."

"She's in medical school in Illinois, apparently. Maybe the apple really has fallen far away from the tree."

Bella reached over his shoulder and, with a click of the mouse, closed the screen. "I can think of so many other things we could be doing right now besides looking up daughters of people you've arrested, and they're a lot more fun."

She wound her arms around his shoulders, making her breasts level with his face. He nuzzled closer to his favorite part of her anatomy as she moved in-between his legs and said, "What do you have in mind, Ms. Swan... soon to be Mrs. Cullen?"

She pulled away and stepped back, beckoning to him with her index finger. Her come-hither look lasted only a second before she giggled and ran. "Catch me and I just might let you find out."

Edward, hot on her heels, dove into the bed seconds after her.

~888~

Neither George nor Trey was able to identify Brad Sanders in the lineup. Edward wasn't surprised. However, TPD was still able to hold the suspects until they were arraigned, because Sanders and Beauvoir were identified by no less than five other people from the Center for the current alleged assaults. Edward had no doubt that although Beauvoir and Sanders might have other accomplices, they were up to no good when they'd shown up the day before.

Alvin Shoals took all the information from Edward about Bree Tanner and Jane Volturi. If they had connections to Beauvoir or Sanders, Alvin would find them. Edward made sure that Rosalie was briefed about what he suspected, and was glad when she agreed to stay on the alert despite the recent arrests. Edward asked her not mention it to the other volunteers. He still wasn't comfortable with how close the stalkers had been able to get to Bella, and wasn't sure if they could all be trusted with this new information just yet.

On Thursday, as his shift was ending, he got a call from his mother.

"You must really be enjoying your stay in Indianapolis. I've only heard from you a grand total of three times," he teased.

"Your phone works the same as mine, son. At least I've made an effort."

He chuckled. "You've got me there. You know I was going to call you, but I've been busy tying up some loose ends surrounding the investigation," he said as he gathered his things and walked out to his car.

"That's why I'm calling. I had to hear from Esme that you'd caught the stalkers, and she and Alice are on their way back to Tallahassee tomorrow."

"I wish Jasper and Uncle Carlisle had waited, but I know they miss their wives and couldn't keep flying to Seattle every weekend to see them."

"So, when where you planning on approving my return?"

"Give me a few more days, Mom. I'll call you, okay?"

It wasn't lost on her that he actually called her "Mom" and not the stuffy "Mother" he'd been using for years. Of course, she couldn't help asking him the same question she always did right before they'd hang up: "Don't you want to say hello to your father?"

His answer was the same: "No."

"He really has changed, Edward. He asked me if you'd read the letters he sent when you got out of the Marines. I didn't lie to him—I told him they were still in your room at my house."

"Why have you become his advocate all of a sudden?"

"He's made his peace with God, and now he just wants to make peace with his son."

"So, his prognosis isn't good?"

"No. He needs a liver transplant. The doctor's given him six months, barring finding a match within that time."

Edward wasn't prepared for how that bit of information got to him more than it should have. He pulled into the Center and parked, and they were both silent for a few moments, the weight of the conversation affecting each in their own way.

It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to hear how his father was suffering, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself he didn't care. Bella had been such a shining example of forgiveness over the past several months, he couldn't help but feel what had to be compassion. In spite of himself, every time he'd spoken to his mother, he'd been feeling more sympathetic, especially now that she'd dropped this bombshell. He wanted to talk more, but would have to save it for a later time.

"Mom, I'm sorry, but I've got to go. I'm escorting Bella to her class at FSU, but I'll talk to you right after, okay?"

"Okay, but just one more quick thing before you go. I ran into Caius Volturi at a gala here. He wasn't congenial, which didn't surprise me considering the parts we played in what happened to his brother, but he did tell me something interesting."

Edward watched as Bella walked out with the rest of the volunteers, and kept his eyes peeled for any movement in the shadows. "What's that?"

"Jane, Aro's daughter, has been in Tallahassee for quite some time, supposedly fighting for her father's estate, but I told him we weren't aware of this. She was a nice girl and almost finished medical school, but I'm sure the seizure of Aro's property severely hindered her ability to remain living in Chicago in the manner to which she'd become accustomed. Caius tells me she's engaged to a hometown Tallahassee boy, too."

Edward's skin began to crawl. "Jane is here?"

"Yes, dear. Didn't you hear anything I said?"

"Damn!"

"What's wrong—?"

"You've got to get me the fiancé's name, okay? Call Caius immediately, and call me back as soon as you find out."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do. Hopefully he's still at his church, since that's the only number I have for him."

"Thanks. Listen, Bella's here. I'll talk to you later."

Bella knocked on the window, and he powered it down as he hung up the phone. Even though his gut was roiling, he put on a brilliant smile for her.

"I'm taking Orange Avenue to Lake Bradford to get to school tonight. There's too much construction on Gaines Street."

Captain Black had rescinded her pass for riding in the cruiser, but Edward would take his breaks, his lunch hour, or vacation time if he had to, to make sure she was safe.

"Okay, baby, I'll be right behind you," he said. She got into her car, started it up, and pulled out of the parking lot and onto Texas Street. Within a few minutes, they were on Orange Avenue headed to FSU.

It took a while to find a parking spot at the Williams Building, but finally she did and Edward pulled his cruiser behind her. He put his emergency lights on and walked her to her class like he'd been doing since Tuesday night. This time her classmates didn't gawk too much when he kissed her goodbye at the door.

"I'll be back at nine to escort you home. Don't leave this classroom without me, okay?"

"Okay." She gave him a reassuring smile and went to take her seat.

Once he'd checked the perimeter and felt confident she was as safe as she could be, Edward ran back to his cruiser. He was going back to the precinct to make some calls and wait for his mother to call him back with a name.

~888~

Bella's classmates had taken out their papers and stacked them on the corner of the desk, waiting for the professor to show up. Anita, the woman who sat next to her, leaned over and said, "If I had a boyfriend who looked like yours, I'd probably forget to turn in my paper, too."

"Oh! Right. Thank you." Bella pulled her briefcase up off the floor. "It's in my briefcase here... somewhere." She rummaged through once, twice, then three times, annoyed. This paper was a third of her grade for the semester, and she simply couldn't have misplaced it. She'd finished it just before the children arrived, printed it out, slid it into a report jacket, and put it in her briefcase. She thought hard. _Was it there when I put in my laptop before leaving the office?_ She hadn't looked, assuming that it was, and now it was probably on the floor next to her desk.

All the color drained from her face.

"What?" Anita asked.

"My paper's not here; but I know I put it in here earlier today."

"Did you have it on your laptop? Maybe you can show the professor, and he'll let you send him a printed copy later."

"I have it on a USB drive..." She rummaged again, but it wasn't there either.

"Oh no! Could I have left it in the desktop?" In all the excitement that happened today, maybe she'd been distracted. She stood up and grabbed her things. "I'm going back to the Center to get it. I'll be back. Please let Professor Davidoff know, okay?"

Anita said she would and Bella quickly ran out to her car, mentally berating herself on the way. She called Edward, but it went straight to voicemail. "Hey baby, I'm going back to the Center to get my paper. I wouldn't do this if it didn't count toward so much of my grade. I promise to be in and out in a few seconds, and…don't freak out."

She parked haphazardly in the empty lot and ran to her office door. She got it open quickly and locked it, then went straight to her computer, but there was no USB drive. Then she went to her desk chair and pulled it out, looking around on the floor, and eventually getting down on her hands and knees to inspect under the desk. Nothing. She looked under the credenza. Still no luck. She even checked in the bathroom. Nada.

In her last act of desperation, she went to the common room, scanning all the tables and the floor. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up when a shadowed figure appeared from the hallway near the children's bathroom. He was holding her report in one hand, and her USB drive in the other.

"Looking for these?"

Bella hoped this was some freaky coincidence, but the look on his face convinced her otherwise. He had taken them so she would have to come back.

**E/N:** OMG, OMG, I'm finally at the prologue scene. Arrggghhh! Next chapter the culprits will be revealed! Stay tuned. You should have some very concrete guesses now, people. Hit that review button. I want to hear your theories.


	36. Ch 35 TLC:I Would Like To Call It Beauty

**A/N: ****My apologies for the lateness of this post. One of my betas and I discovered a discrepancy in this chapter that had to be fixed before I could post, and then FFN had some technical difficulties. So, without further ado, here's Chapter 35.**

**Thanks as always to my betas****: SSHG316, SavageWoman and Irritable Grizzzly. Thanks Nicnicd who agreed to beta these final chapters in SavageWoman's absence. I have loved having her on board for the culmination of this story I love so much. The final chapter is next and it has been hard to keep my emotions in check. Looking forward to closing these chapters in the lives of Copward and his Bella. But keep me on alert for the FGB future outtakes.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains a graphic depiction of a physical and an attempted sexual assault, if scenes like this are a trigger for you, please skip the second scene, or chapter break altogether. In no way, form or fashion, does this story seek to sensationalize, glorify, or romanticize sexual assault.**

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**"It is only from the belief of the goodness and wisdom of a supreme being, that our calamities can be borne in the manner which becomes a man."—Henry Mackenzie**

**I Would Like To Call It Beauty**

**by Corinne Bailey Rae**

You slept a sigh like the angels speak,  
And we danced into tomorrow on bleeding feet  
And I had thought that I would die here  
But you pushed me on,  
You pushed me on,  
You pushed me on

**Chapter 35 - I Would Like To Call It Beauty**

Edward returned to the precinct and immediately got on the phone with his contacts in Indiana, as well as a cop in the Chicagoland area who owed him a favor. He needed confirmation regarding Jane and her whereabouts. Certain it was her call he'd missed while he was on the phone with his colleagues, when his mother's number flashed on his cell phone he picked up immediately.

"Edward, I'm sorry it took so long. I had to loosen Caius up with a little small talk, but I did get the information. Jane's fiancé is a Demetri Christos."

For the second time in one night, Edward had received some devastating information from his mother, but this time it chilled him to the bone.

"Thanks, Mom. I can't explain much right now, but Demetri has been working at the Center with Bella, and I've got to find him and Jane. I'll call you again soon."

Immediately, he got in touch with Seth and Alvin, and brought them up to speed. Then he left the precinct and on his way to his car, he discovered he'd previously missed a call from Bella. His knees gave way as he listened to her message, his head spinning in a panicked jumble.

Remembering a technique that Dr. Levy had taught him, he was able to calm himself enough to dial Bella's number. She didn't pick up, so he hopped in his car and sped through downtown Tallahassee, his cruiser's lights swirling and sirens blaring. Frantic, he punched in Rosalie's number, hoping that she kept the same hours he had.

"Rosalie, are you patrolling at City of Hope right now?"

"No, I had a dentist's appointment after work and I'm about to head home. Why?"

"Demetri is Jane Volturi's fiancé, and they're probably the real stalkers. Bella's gone back to the Center, and I'm betting one or both of them are there waiting for her. I'm on Monroe Street. How close are you?"

"I'm headed south on Capital Circle, just past Blairstone." He could hear her tires squealing, as she engaged her siren. "Heading back to Orange Avenue now." Hopefully, they would arrive around the same time if the traffic didn't hinder her.

Edward hung up and pushed his gas pedal to the floor. Thankfully, commuter traffic was cooperating and he got through downtown traffic fairly quickly. Another five minutes and he'd be on South Monroe, but he didn't feel like he could go fast enough. If anything happened to Bella...he pushed those thoughts away and concentrated on weaving through the traffic.

~888~

Bella pretended to play along with his obvious game, hoping that Edward had gotten her voicemail and was on his way. She laughed nervously. "Imagine my surprise when I got to class and it wasn't in my bag. You know that paper—"

He slowly moved toward her. "…is worth thirty percent of your grade. Yeah, I overheard you tell Officer Hale that nice little tidbit of information when she told you she was leaving early to go to her dental appointment."

Bella cringed and backed up a few steps, swallowing hard, but her mouth was so dry and it was almost painful. "Demetri, why are you doing this?"

"Surely you know your boyfriend killed our Most Supreme High Bishop and my future father-in-law, Aro Volturi. Jane was in medical school and almost done with her internship when your Edward broke her heart for the second time."

"What do you mean 'for the second time?'" She glanced around, looking to see if there was something nearby that she could use as a weapon, but the volunteers had done a very thorough job putting everything away.

"I mean, I don't really care about him refusing to be matched with my beloved, because had he remained a believer, then I wouldn't be with my Jane." He cracked his knuckles, the sound reverberating eerily.

"They were children, and that practice was ridiculous anyway." Bella spoke with as much courage as she could while shaking uncontrollably. "Give me my paper, and we can forget all about this."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" He rolled his head like he was preparing for a brawl, and Bella backed up another step. She looked quickly to her office door, trying to gauge the distance.

"No, not at all. I just don't want you getting in over your head all because of some stupid vendetta your fiancée has against Edward."

He ignored her, choosing to change the subject. "You know, we never got to know each other well enough when we were in grade school," he said, licking his lips and advancing on her.

Bella tried to back away, but her legs wouldn't comply. Still, through her fear, the anger came through. "Edward's patrolling the area right now. He'll be here any minute," she spat. It sickened her to realize that he'd used their past relationship to insinuate himself there only to target her, Edward, and his family. They'd been like sitting ducks.

He laughed the cackling and derisive laugh of a madman. "He isn't around here, and you know it. The Captain's not letting him come back until he closes the case against the drug dealer. You know, you and Officer Hale trusted the volunteers around here too much. Always leaving the door open when you had your little meetings. "

Bella could only keep him talking, hoping that Edward was close-by. "So you think killing me is going to avenge your fiancée? Where is she now? If Jane wanted this done, why didn't she face me, woman-to-woman?" She said the words forcefully, too proud to let Demetri see just how afraid she was. As he continued to advance on her, she prayed her nerves wouldn't make her forget the self-defense moves her dad had taught her.

"My Jane still has to take the oath to do no harm, but I don't. Besides, I've never had a chance to repay you for ignoring me way back when. For a preacher's daughter, you weren't very... friendly." His lecherous gaze undressed her with his eyes, as he licked his lips again and inched closer.

Finally getting some of her wits about her, she nonchalantly stuck her hand in her pocket and felt for the keypad of her phone, hoping her fingers would find those three little numbers and the "send" button.

"Aw come on, Bella," he crooned. "You're going to like this…" He touched his crotch in a lewd gesture. "I know you and Edward haven't done the deed. You were wearing your promise ring on Monday, and looks like he's replaced it with an engagement ring. I'm sure Rev. Swan has brainwashed him like he did us years ago. _It's great to wait_. What utter bullshit." He inched forward a few more steps.

After all this time of saving herself for the man she loved, she was going to lose her virginity like this?

Her virginity had been the gift she'd wanted to give to her husband ever since she understood what sex was all about. For the last several months, she'd fallen deeper and deeper in love with someone who hadn't thought himself worthy of her at first, but gradually became the man she knew he could be. It couldn't end like this.

Staring across the room into the lust-filled eyes of the deranged man who was once her childhood friend, Bella knew that she had every reason to be terrified. However, she couldn't let her terror consume her, she needed to fight

Keeping her courage up, she hit send, and then did what she always did when things looked grim: she prayed. For survival, for herself and for the man she loved, because no matter how this turned out, he'd be devastated that he hadn't been there to protect her. She also prayed for the strength they would both need to get through this. She needed to fight because this demented rapist was mistaken if he believed he was going to take what he'd come for. She wasn't going to give him that chance.

"You don't want to do this, Demetri," she said, trying to sound as if she were appealing to his conscience, but actually stalling for time and giving the 9-1-1 operator as much information as she could. "My family and City of Hope Community have only tried to do right by you. If Bishop Volturi were alive—"

"Don't you fucking say his name!" he screamed. "Your boyfriend shot him in the head like he was a common criminal. I almost had to commit Jane, she was so sick over her father's death."

Bella tried another tactic. "You'll only be charged with stalking if you stop now. Why add rape to that? Your life will be a living hell in prison." He crept a little closer, rolling his neck again. That nervous tic had never creeped her out until now.

"I might be afraid of that," he leered, "if I planned on leaving you alive to identify me." He dropped the paper and USB to the floor, reached into his back pocket, and withdrew a switchblade.

Bella's skin crawled and she went to step back, only to come up against one of the computer desks. "The Center is a safe-haven for the children in this community. Don't leave my dead body here for them to find. Let's go where there's a bed and we can –"

"Shut up! I don't need your suggestions. We're going to do this right here, right now." He got closer, until he was standing just a few feet away, and made a big show of unfolding the knife, the sharp steel edge glinting like it was mocking her.

"Demetri Christos!" Bella screamed for the benefit of the dispatcher. The appearance of the knife amped up her fear, and raised the stakes considerably, but she tried to keep a clear head so she could make a move at the right moment. Attempting to appeal to his humanity, provided that there was any left in him, she said, "Don't you have any pride in yourself or the Center? You grew up here. Please don't make it into a crime scene again."

"You know what? I'm really tired of hearing you bitching and moaning. I thought you were something else when we were younger, but now I see that you're just a nagging bitch. From now on, I don't want to hear anything from you but moans of pleasure. Jane wants you dead, but there's no sense in wasting a perfectly good virgin. I'll be doing you a great service allowing you to experience what it's like to be with a real man before you go to your grave."

He lunged, and she kicked him in the stomach. As he reeled backward, she darted away toward her office, running in and trying to close the door, but he was too fast. She strained as hard as she could, but he gave the door one hard push and she fell back against the chairs in front of her desk, toppling to the floor amidst a tangle of metal and leather. As she attempted to regain her balance and kick him again, Demetri pounced, grabbing her by her hair and pulling her to her feet with one hand, while waving the knife in her face with the other.

"That was stupid," he said. "We can do this easy way or the hard way. Which is it gonna be, Bella?"

Heart in her throat, Bella was barely able to whisper. "Okay, okay… I won't run again."

He tightened his hold on her hair, and Bella cried out and grabbed at his hand. He freed his hold on her hair shifted the knife to his left hand, and slapped her hard across the face. Her left eye and jaw exploded with pain. She desperately tried to think of some way she could injure him, but knew any move she made would only hasten her death. Besides, she could hardly see, and she couldn't seem to conjure the energy to fight anymore. Demetri hoisted her over to the leather sofa and dropped her roughly onto it.

"This is about as good as any bed," he spat. His breath was so stale, it made her nauseated. He used the knife to tear her blouse open, sending buttons careening around the room as he clawed at her, pulling the front of her bra away from her skin and cutting it, exposing her breasts. "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about." He reached down to palm them roughly, and Bella knew she had to do something to slow down the situation, or she would be raped and dead before anyone could show up.

Although she was shivering and crying uncontrollably, she managed to smile weakly at him and said as coyly as she could, "You know, Demetri, I've never done this before, and even if I'm going to die afterwards, I really want my first time to be special."

In his lust-driven haze, Demetri grinned. "You're shitting me, right?"

"N-No," Bella stammered, "I'm not. You'll see in a few minutes, but I just need you to slow down and make this special for both of us. Come on… it won't be any fun for you if I'm not really… ready down there."

"Yeah, right. What was I thinking? There's something about fucking a virgin that makes a man anxious."

"Let's start by taking off some of your clothes." She tugged at his shirt, willing her hands not to shake. Though she felt as if she were about to throw up, she had to make it seem real.

He got up, keeping his knee between her legs, and quickly pulled his shirt over his head and threw it to the floor before leaning back down.

Thinking fast, she made another request. "Take off your jeans," she said, smiling again. "They're so rough against my skin."

He shucked off his jeans in a matter of seconds and stood towering over her in his underwear. Bella sat up involuntarily, and he pushed her back down onto the sofa.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I w-was just going to take off m-my jacket and skirt…"

He relaxed and allowed her to slide off the sofa. "I could d-dance for you, if you want me t-to," she said, while pulling her jacket together to cover her exposed chest. Then she began moving her hips, hoping it appeared sexy.

"If I wanted to see dancing, I would have gone to a strip club." He waved the knife in a beckoning motion. "Get your ass back over here."

She walked back over on shaky legs.

"Don't try anything funny," he said.

Bella nodded and tried to staunch the flow of tears as he pulled her to him and slobbered on her neck. She shuddered in revulsion.

"I've got to get you wet so we can do this." He forced her skirt down over her hips, ruining the zipper and scratching her thigh. Her cell phone fell out of her pocket and clattered to the floor, and she prayed he wouldn't see it was on.

Demetri pushed her back onto the sofa and pinned her to it, and Bella tried not to think about what he was doing to her as she plotted her next move. Fresh tears came as she thought about how tender and loving Edward had always been, and cursed herself for not having followed his directive. It should be him, but now this animal was taking her virginity.

"_Oh God, please help me," _she prayed silently. _"Give me the strength to stop this from happening."_

Suddenly, she remembered a story her parents had told her about her aunt's friend in Mississippi. A man robbed her and was attempting to rape her. She was able to subdue him by twisting his scrotum as hard as she could until the police arrived. Either that would work, or she'd be dead. Of course, if she did nothing, she'd be _raped_ and dead, so she had nothing to lose.

"I think I'm ready now," she announced. "Take off those b-boxers." She swallowed hard.

Demetri hurriedly slid back on the couch to hover over her. His penis was stiff, and liquid was dripping onto her lap. He nudged her thighs open roughly with his knee while keeping the knife at her throat, and prepared to enter her.

"Let me touch it," Bella said quickly. "I've never actually touched one before, and I want to know what it feels like." That wasn't true, but since he knew she was a virgin, he might think she was totally innocent.

Demetri laughed. "Ooh, preacher's daughter is a little freak."

He grinned down at her, displaying his vile large eyeteeth that looked almost like vampire fangs. Bella reached between his legs as if she were going to stroke him, but instead went straight for his balls. She grabbed him and twisted hard, dug her nails as deeply as she could into his ball sac, and held on for dear life.

Demetri immediately dropped the knife and screamed like a girl. "Aaaaarghhhh!" He hit her with his fists, but with each strike, Bella twisted tighter and tighter. Demetri continued to scream and claw at her hands, trying to get her to release her hold, but Bella had him in a death grip. She heard sirens, and soon Demetri's screams intermingled with them, until they were one and the same. She continued to hold on and didn't allow his fists to deter her. He kept hitting her until one of her eyes was swollen shut and her lips were busted and bleeding, but she refused to let go. Then he put his hands around her neck and squeezed, and she was mercifully claimed by the darkness.

~888~

Edward was almost there when he heard Dispatch asking for responders at the City of Hope Community Center.

"Bella!" he screamed and tore into the parking lot practically on two wheels, almost hitting Bella's car. He jumped out of his cruiser and ran toward the building, praying that he wasn't too late.

It was dark, but he heard what sounded like muffled screaming coming from Bella's office. He kicked in her office door and entered with his gun drawn and his flashlight on his shoulder. Bella was on the couch, badly beaten. Demetri Christos was on the floor naked and curled into the fetal position, clutching his testicles.

"Fucking bitch wouldn't let go!" he whined.

_That's my girl_, Edward thought.

Demetri was incapacitated, but Edward wouldn't take any chances with him trying to escape. He jerked one of Demetri's hands from his bleeding junk and cuffed him to a chrome bar on the leather bench sofa, then hastily secured the scene. Finding no one lurking elsewhere in the building, he returned to the office.

"Where's Jane?" Edward hissed, but Demetri refused to answer.

Knowing how modest Bella was and not wanting his colleagues to see her exposed , he took off his uniform shirt and tenderly dressed her in it, taking care to fasten each button, despite his shaking fingers, and then checked her vitals. Satisfied that she was stable for the time being, he tried to wake her. Holding her gingerly, he struggled to contain his sobs. "Bella... baby, I'm here. Bella?" She moaned, but didn't fully regain consciousness. He heard a lone siren approaching and hoped it was Rosalie as he laid Bella gently back down.

He got on his walkie-talkie and he spoke into it, requesting an ambulance and backup status. "10-37 Dispatch, Officer Cullen 10-18 requesting 10-43 and 10-65. Can you copy? Also confirming ETA of 10-24?

"10-4. Copy that," The Dispatcher immediately responded.

Rosalie ran into the room, her eyes bulging widely as she took in the scene, and lost her professional veneer. "Goddammit!" she said, and took a running start and kicked a whimpering Demetri square on his chin. He screamed as his head snapped back violently.

Edward stood up and grabbed Rosalie before she could land another blow. She seemed to surprise herself as she began to cry, and wiped the tears away angrily. "I believe that's my job," Edward said through clenched teeth. "Stay with Bella."

Rosalie nodded, silently giving him the approval to take care of a little business before their colleagues arrived. She then rushed to Bella's side, kneeling on the floor beside her, checking her vitals and smoothing her hair back. She spoke softly to her friend. "Hang in there, honey. Help is on the way."

Edward remembered that Rosalie knew all-too-well the terror Bella had experienced. This made him even more enraged, and he grabbed Demetri by his cuffed hand and dragged him into the Common Room.

Now he was ready to kill the motherfucker with his bare hands. He cuffed Demetri's hands together, even though he was still moaning like he was dying. Edward was happy to heap more pain onto him, and he allowed the rage to take over as he let his fists fly. Demetri fell to the floor, but Edward just kept on hitting him. When he grew tired of punching, Edward kicked and stomped until he heard the siren of the Leon County EMS bus stop abruptly outside, and someone dragged him away.

"Edward! Edward! Stop! The ambulance is here," Rosalie said as she pulled him away. "I'll take it from here."

"Bella... " The rage lifted, but the anguish on Edward's face was excruciating.

"The EMTs are on their way in," Rosalie said softly, then roughly grabbed Demetri and went into her arrest litany. "You have the right to remain silent. If you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say may be used against you in a court of law..."

Edward spat on Demetri, then turned and stumbled into the office where Bella was, just as the EMTs came in holding a stretcher. Seth rushed in behind them, and Edward waved him into the Common room to assist Rosalie as he gave the EMTs all the info he could provide.

They hooked Bella up to an IV and oxygen, loaded her up, and rolled her out. Edward followed closely, holding her hand. One of the EMTs tried to deter him and said, "We'll take it from here, Officer—" but Edward gave him a look that shut him up fast.

Seth and Rosalie were hauling a re-clothed and battered Demetri out, and seeing the tension, Rosalie put herself between Edward and the Paramedic. "Officer Cullen is her fiancé," she explained.

The EMT looked at the police shirt Bella was wearing with "Cullen" embroidered above the pocket, and back at Edward. "You can ride with her, then," he agreed.

Edward tossed Rosalie the keys to his cruiser. "Can you get my car back to the precinct?"

She caught them effortlessly. "Sure thing, Edward."

"Hey Cullen, Shoals and I picked up Jane Volturi on our way in," Seth said, almost as an afterthought. "She was sitting in her car on Texas Street, presumably waiting for this piece of shit."

Edward nodded and kept going. When they were in the ambulance and headed for the hospital, he called Carlisle and asked him to meet them at Tallahassee Memorial's Emergency Room. He shared as much as he knew about Bella's condition, and Carlisle assured him he would be there immediately.

Bella briefly regained consciousness, but all she could do was whisper his name.

"Edward…"

"I'm here, baby, I'm here."

"Edward…"

"It's okay, Bella. You're going to be fine."

Then she was out again and his tears dropped onto Bella's hand as the EMT worked silently on the other side of the gurney. He continued to kneel next to her, hoping and praying that she would be all right.

They rolled into the ER and unloaded her immediately. Edward followed, clad only in a white undershirt and his uniform pants. The EMT relayed Bella's current condition to the nurses, the ER Doc, and Carlisle, who was already there and ready to get to work.

As he followed them to the Trauma Bays, Edward felt a stab of pain in his heart as the EMT rattled off Bella's ailments to the medical professionals.

"Physical and probable sexual assault. Trauma to the throat. Blunt force trauma to her head and upper torso. BP eighty over fifty, possible internal bleeding."

"Uncle Carlisle," Edward pleaded, "please do everything you can."

Carlisle was calm as he explained, "You know I will, Edward, but right now you need to let us do our jobs. Why don't you go to the waiting room adjacent to Trauma Bay 1, okay?"

"When she wakes up, she'll need me."

"I know, son, and I promise you'll be there when that happens, but right now she needs medical care without interference."

He nodded. "You're right. Go help her."

Carlisle hurried to catch up with the team, with Edward close on his heels. When they arrived, Carlisle showed Edward the waiting room, but instead he stood at the Trauma door, peering in. He couldn't let Bella out of his sight. They discussed and identified her wounds and added meds to her IV. Then one of the nurses pulled a curtain around them when she noticed Edward watching. He was about to push the door open when he heard someone calling his name.

He looked back to see Charlie and Renee hurrying toward him.

"Edward," Renee said quickly, tears streaming down her face, "where's my baby?"

"They're working on her right now."

"What happened?" Charlie said in a controlled voice, obviously trying to rein in his anger. "Rosalie wouldn't give us any details over the phone."

"She was assaulted by Demetri Christos at the Center. I saw her go into her class, but she went back to retrieve a missing assignment. He must have found her there. She was beaten up pretty badly and…" Edwards's voice broke, and he closed his eyes against the ugly words he had to utter to her parents. "Um, there were signs of…uh…a sexual assault." A sob escaped him, and then he just lost it. Renee was crying too as she pulled Edward close and tried to comfort him. Charlie clapped him on the back, clenching his jaw and attempting to steel himself not to cry, but it was useless.

"Over here," Charlie said. He alone had the presence of mind to lead Renee and a distraught Edward into the waiting room.

Edward fell onto the sofa and held his head in hands, pulling at the roots of his hair, his shoulders shaking with sobs. Renee and Charlie took turns comforting him.

"I should never have left City of Hope…she would have been fine…I should have been there..."

"Edward, there's no way any of us could have known that Demetri would do something like this," Charlie said. "Don't beat yourself up …We've just got to put this firmly in the hands of the Lord. Bella is strong. She'll come through. We'll all get through this…" It sounded like Charlie was trying to convince himself as well.

Edward was inconsolable. He sobbed until there were no more tears and his throat was raw. Renee and Charlie tried to get him to drink something, but he wouldn't respond.

Carlisle came in to give them the status on Bella. His eyes were shadowed with concern and exhaustion as he sat heavily in the chair across from them, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Her assailant beat her pretty savagely. Bella is suffering from a severe concussion and a small head bleed from a ruptured artery in her temporal lobe. One of her eyes is swollen shut, but there doesn't seem to be any permanent damage. She's in a medically-induced coma right now, because her body is trying to heal itself. Once it does, she'll wake up. There was bruising, blood, and semen in her vaginal area, which leads us to believe she might have been sexually assaulted; however, we'll do a more thorough exam and a rape kit as soon as she's stable enough. A couple of fingers on her right hand are badly sprained. There was skin and blood underneath her fingernails, meaning she fought bravely, but hopefully not to her detriment. We'll keep you posted as she responds to treatment."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen," Renee said.

"Yes, thanks, Doc," Charlie agreed.

Carlisle approached Edward where he sat on the sofa between Renee and Charlie. He noted that his nephew seemed to be dazed and was unresponsive to his surroundings. "Edward? Edward?" Quickly, he took Edward's wrist, checked his pulse, and then touched his forehead and cheek. Checking his pupils with an ophthalmoscope, he found Edward's eyes were fixed and dilated, and he needed treatment right away. "He's in shock," Carlisle muttered and stalked over to the wall, hitting a convenient nurse call button. When a nurse answered, he rattled off the items he needed.

After Edward was sedated and had fallen asleep with his head on Renee's lap, Carlisle addressed Charlie and Renee again.

"I'll send an orderly to collect him so we can get some O2 and fluids into his system. Most likely, he blames himself, and the gravity of it all was just too overwhelming. My nephew loves Bella more than anything in this life, or the next."

"We know," Charlie said simply. Unable to speak, Renee nodded vigorously.

~888~

Edward emerged from his induced sleep, slowly and listlessly. His first thought was, "Where the hell am I?" Then he swallowed and felt a soreness in his throat, and it all came rushing back to him. His Bella had been assaulted by Demetri fucking Christos, and he was lying helpless in a fucking hospital bed. He wanted to scream, but his vocal cords betrayed him and the noise he made was unintelligible. Sitting up abruptly, he pulled the IV tubing out of his arm.

Then Emmett and Rosalie were swimming before him, trying to get him to calm down and lie back down, but he fought them off, still struggling to get up.

"Edward...Edward you need to calm down, now," Rosalie pleaded.

"Yeah, man," Emmett said. "Get some rest before you stroke out or something...Come on..."

"Bell..." He began and then cleared his throat.

"Bella is stable, and Carlisle and his colleagues have done everything they can for her. When her body can take it, she'll wake up. If you want to see her, you've got to calm down. They're not going to let you in there while you're in this state."

Edward looked at Rosalie and realized her eyes were puffy and her makeup was smeared. He'd never seen her like that before.

Emmett grabbed the pitcher on the side table, poured a cup of cold water, and then handed it to Edward. "Here, buddy. Drink this. You look thirsty."

Realizing Emmett was right, he took the cup, but his heart wouldn't stop beating double-time, and his adrenaline was spiking. He needed to see Bella. Draining the cup quickly, he dropped it and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Emmett grabbed his shoulders and looked him square in the eye.

"Don't make me have to deck you or get one the nurses in here to knock your ass out again," he said sternly.

Edward wanted to fight, but all of a sudden he was weak again and he just lay back on the bed. "I should have killed him," Edward said. "I should have..." His voice grew hoarse again, and all he could think of was Bella trying to fight Demetri off. How unfair it was for her to go all these years promising to keep herself pure for her wedding night, only to have that gift savagely stolen from her. Even worse, it had been taken by someone who'd been out for revenge against him. God, how could she possibly trust that he would keep her safe ever again? He had failed the woman he loved in the worst possible way.

He curled up in a fetal position and then slipped back into darkness.

~888~

When Edward woke again, he was numb, and he heard Esme and Alice talking quietly in the corner. Despite the fact that he hadn't seen either of them in a month, he couldn't even say hello. Finally Alice looked over at him and registered that his eyes were open. She approached the bed cautiously, leaning down and brushing his hair away from his face.

"Hi, cuz," she said huskily. Her eyes were red-rimmed and watery. Esme was crying openly and was now standing next to Alice.

He blinked and swallowed the lump that had been residing in his throat for what seemed like hours. He didn't feel like talking, but he had to know about Bella. "Is she... okay?" he asked, having difficulty enunciating.

Esme smiled through her tears. "Carlisle says her vitals are good and her wounds are beginning to heal. She's still unconscious, but her brain activity is strong. He thinks it's just a matter of time."

Edward closed his eyes. He was sure that if he were able to, he'd be crying again.

"Can we get you anything?" Alice asked. "It's been more than twenty-four hours since you've eaten."

"Maybe water..."

Esme wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "How about I get you some cranberry juice from the nurse's station? The drip has kept you hydrated, but you really need something to give you a little energy. Will you drink some juice... for me?"

Edward didn't really want anything, but he also couldn't refuse his Aunt Esme. He nodded, and she smiled and left the room. Alice pulled a chair up close to him and sat down, picking up his hand. It wasn't until she touched him that he realized how sore and swollen his knuckles were. He would gladly have shattered all the bones in his hands if Rosalie hadn't stopped him when she did.

He could see Alice was struggling to keep herself together as she attempted to form a coherent sentence. "Edward... Bella is going to pull through this. I know she is. Don't you think she would want you to pull through, too?"

"I wasn't the one who was raped... and had the crap beat out of me... "

"But you're acting like you were. Bella's going to need you to help her become whole again. You can't help her heal if you're broken."

What Alice said rang true. What he'd learned from his bible studies was that he'd have to be a rock for Bella as she recovered, strengthening her so she could heal.

He was still wracked with pain when he thought about what she'd had to endure, but he knew Bella wouldn't take any of this lying down. She was a fighter, and she had always encouraged him when he was the weaker one, letting him know he was a man of worth, when his prior actions said otherwise.

Esme slipped back into the room with a can of cranberry juice and a cup of ice, and Edward sat up. He was wearing a hospital gown and felt the cool air hit his back as Esme poured some juice in the cup and handed it to him. Alice looked on with a watery smile. He noticed then she was sporting a nice little baby bump, and smiled at his cousin and Aunt while he drank all the juice before holding the cup out for more. Esme poured him another, and this time he sipped slowly.

"I want to see Bella," he said simply. "Get Carlisle to call in a favor... whatever he has to do. I need to see her."

Esme set the juice can on the side table and caressed his cheek. "Your uncle will certainly make it happen. I don't think that will be a problem at all."

Edward looked around. "Where are my clothes?"

Alice retrieved a duffel bag from where they'd been sitting earlier. "Emmett and Rosalie brought you some things before they had to head home and go to work. They couldn't finesse getting any time off."

He drank what was left of the juice and grabbed the bag from Alice as she took the cup from him. "Thanks," he said, attempting to get up, but realized he was still tethered to the IV. "You think they'd be willing to take this out now so I can take a shower?"

Esme smiled and walked to the door. "If they're not so inclined, I'm sure they will be once we've had a little chat."

~888~

After his shower, Alice made him drink a protein smoothie before she would let him leave the room. He sucked it down so fast, he got brain freeze. Charlie and Renee were in the ICU waiting room, and they each greeted him warmly.

"They've been letting us see her for a few minutes every hour. We've let her neurologist, Dr. Kruse, know that you'd be staying with her for as long as they'd let you," Renee said.

Charlie threw an arm around Edward's shoulder and walked him to the door. His face was contorted as if he might cry, but then he whispered to Edward, "It looks... bad, son. Much worse than what you might have seen when they brought her in, but Carlisle has had every specialist known to man looking in on her. He says she'll be fine when she heals."

"Thanks, Rev. Swan," Edward said hoarsely.

"Didn't I tell you to call me Charlie when the church folks aren't around?"

Edward couldn't help but smile. "Charlie."

Charlie squeezed his shoulder and let him go, and Edward pushed the swinging door open. He found a nurse at the station and asked after Bella.

"You must be the fiancé," she said. "Right this way."

The nurse escorted him to the room and pulled the curtain back to allow him entry. He was so thankful that Rev. Swan had given him a heads-up. His Bella looked nothing like herself. Her face was swollen almost beyond recognition, and her left eye was purple. It literally took his breath away to see her like that. His hands went to his knees, and his head swam like he was going to faint. The nurse touched him on his back.

"Breathe, Mr. Cullen. I know right now she doesn't look like the girl you asked to marry you, but she will again."

He shot her a glare, and she stepped back involuntarily. Edward knew she meant well, but he wanted her to shut the hell up.

"I-I'm sorry," she said. "It's just that the trauma she's experienced is something we see all the time. I know it's foreign to you..."

The nurse was wrong in her assumption. As a cop, he'd seen humanity in all its various levels of depravity; he just hadn't seen anything like this happen to someone he loved. Still, she didn't know any better and was only trying to help. Edward took a deep breath and stood erect. "Forgive me. I-It was just such a shock." He went over to the bed and took Bella's unbandaged hand. Leaning as close as he could, he whispered, "Please come back to me, baby. I love you so much, Bella. Come back, sweetheart."

As the nurse quietly left the room, he scooted a chair as close to the bed as he could and sat down, holding her hand and whispering how much he loved and needed her.

~888~

Dr. Kruse and Carlisle came by and sent Edward back out into the waiting area. He had wanted to ask Carlisle discreetly about the rape kit, but couldn't get an opportunity to speak to him alone. When he got back to the waiting room, Jasper, his mother, Emmett, Rosalie, the Halls, James, Maria, Mrs. Williams, Nana and Deacon Wilson had joined Renee, Esme, and Alice there.

His mother held him so tight, for so long, it made him a bit uncomfortable. "Mom," he protested, "I'm fine. Just... pray for Bella."

Elizabeth looked up into her son's eyes. "I know. It just frightened me how close we came to losing you and Bella. Poor crazy Jane Volturi told them everything. She was going to have her brainwashed fiancé kill Bella and then you… after you'd suffered sufficiently from Bella's death, of course."

Edward looked to Rosalie for corroboration. She nodded, and he felt like the room was closing in on him. Suddenly there were too many people around. "Excuse me," he said, and left, his friends and family staring helplessly after him.

He was halfway down the hall when he saw another familiar face. Ira Levy was talking to a nurse at the nurse's station and turned to see Edward. "Never mind, he's right here."

The doctor recognized the panic in Edward's face, and fell in step beside him. With a hand on his forearm, he steered Edward away and down an adjacent quiet hall, trying to encourage him with soothing words, but Edward couldn't concentrate. The doctor must have realized his impromptu therapy session wasn't doing any good, because he stopped talking and maneuvered Edward further down the hall.

They went through a set of double doors and Edward realized they were at the Chapel. Besides the two of them, there was only one other person, kneeling at the altar, praying with everything in him. His future father-in-law was doing what he did best, and Edward wanted nothing more than to be right next to him.

Dr. Levy finally said, "I thought you might want to... meditate, pray, whatever. That's what I would do, and it's much quieter here."

"This is good," Edward said. "I hadn't thought of coming here, but I would like... to pray."

Dr. Levy lightly squeezed his shoulder. "You take as much time as you need," he said. " I'll be in the waiting room when you come back."

Edward wasn't totally a fish-out-of-water, considering he'd actually set foot in a church just this year, but he did feel awkward praying alone. Perhaps if he went to the altar and bowed in supplication like Charlie was doing, God would hear him better. As Edward approached, Charlie looked up and, seeing it was Edward, didn't bother to wipe the tears away that were streaming down his face.

"May I pray with you, Charlie?" Edward asked.

"Of course, son," he said. "Of course."

Edward knelt in a similar fashion and listened as Charlie prayed aloud. He'd never heard a more fervent prayer. He reached out, took Charlie's hand, and echoed every word.

It had been a long time since Edward had prayed this earnestly to a God he'd been taught to fear as an impressionable young boy, but Charlie Swan made it sound like this God was their best friend and He wanted to heal Bella and make everything right again. Now he remembered… Rev. Swan had told him once that the feelings we should have for God should be reverence, not fear of some hellfire and brimstone, vengeful God that was going to smite us if we didn't do everything according to the letter of the law. With this in mind, he prayed for Bella this day in the Chapel at TMH like he'd never prayed before.

~888~

Edward wanted to feel bad about monopolizing all the visiting time with Bella, but he couldn't. He felt a little better when he learned that Renee had gone in to see her while he and Charlie had been in the chapel. Dr. Levy stayed a couple of hours, and Edward talked to him at length again before he left, promising to come back the next day.

There was a steady stream of family and friends in the waiting room, and quite possibly the whole City of Hope Church had cycled through. Edward couldn't remember all of them, but the Swans always introduced him as Bella's fiancé. That made him proud, but he'd much rather have his future bride wake up than have all her church members fawning over him.

Between his hourly visits with Bella, Edward had been hounding Carlisle about the rape kit, so much that he knew he sounded like a broken record, but it was eating away at him. Earlier, Carlisle had been in and out of the ER handling trauma cases, and assured Edward they would talk as soon as he was free. That opportunity came after he'd made his rounds on Bella later that afternoon.

Carlisle sat down with him and opened the chart. "I personally had the hospital staff take the blood tests, collect the requisite fluid specimens, swabs, and fingernail scrapings after she was stabilized. We also treated her with a tetanus shot and emergency contraception to be safe," he said as he continued to peruse her chart. "Dr. Wardlow, an OB/Gyn who happened to be on duty that night, performed the physical exam at my request. She indicates here that the results were inconclusive, pending processing of the specimens." He paused, reading. "She notes that there was bruising to her thighs and vaginal area, possible vaginal bleeding, but no intrauterine bruising or tearing was present. I'll make sure she expounds on that before the TPD comes to take Bella's statement when she's awake, and get the results to you as soon as they're processed."

"Thanks," Edward said. Since there was no tearing, did he dare hope that Demetri hadn't gotten the chance to violate her that way? Edward wasn't sure if he could even broach the subject, given his current state of mind. Instead, he chose to hold on to a modicum of hope she'd been spared that ultimate indignity.

Regardless, he knew that Bella would need counseling and emotional care, given the severity of the physical and mental trauma she had endured. He would make sure no expense was spared and he would remain firmly by her side as he helped her to heal.

It was the beginning of day three as he was holding Bella's hand and telling her about all the hoopla that was going on, when he could have sworn she squeezed his hand. He looked up into her face expectantly, but her eyes were still tightly closed, and he bowed his head over her hand, kissing it repeatedly.

"I love you so much, Bella. Wake up, sweetheart. I need you to come back to me so you can get better and we can plan this crazy wedding together."

"Excuse me...?"

Edward thought he was hearing things and kept babbling, "I need you, Bella...please, baby, wake up for me..." Again, he felt his hand being squeezed. "Bella?" He jerked his head up and saw her good eye was open, while the swollen one was cracked open as far as it would go.

"Oh, baby...you're awake!" The swelling had gone down minutely, so he figured he'd chance a soft kiss on her cheek, and then he grabbed the nurse call button and squeezed it.

"I don't plan on having... a crazy wedding," she said, and cleared her throat. The nasal cannula delivering oxygen was askew after he'd kissed her, and he straightened it back up.

"No, I didn't mean we'd have a crazy wedding. I meant the planning would be crazy."

"Good to know," she said, then coughed, and he almost panicked.

"Don't talk, baby. The nurse will be here in a minute, and I'll have her get Dr. Kruse and Carlisle, okay?"

The next thing Edward knew, Bella's room was filled with nurses and doctors. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew Renee, Charlie, and whoever else was in the waiting room, would want to know that she was awake. He fought his way back to her bedside and kissed her cheek again. "I'll be right back," he said, and went to leave, but Bella clamped her hand over his. "I promise. I just want to let your parents know you're awake." She released him, and he backed slowly away. Once he was in the hall, he turned and ran as quickly as he could, not caring that nurses and orderlies were telling him in loud whispers to slow down.

When he burst into the waiting room with a smile splitting his face, everyone just knew.

~888~

**E/N:** "10-37 (Operator on Duty), 10-18 (Urgent), 10-43 (Medical assist), 10-24 (Backup, Lights, Siren), 10-65 (Can you copy), 10-4, (Over and out, acknowledged)."

**I WOULD LIKE TO CALL IT BEAUTY**

_**by Corinne Bailey Rae**_

__So young for death,_  
_We walk in shoes too big_  
_But you play it like a poet,_  
_Like you always did._  
_And I lay face upturned on the palm of God,_  
_Pushed on by the fingertips of dreams,_  
_They haunted me,_  
_Consoling me.

You can keep it all locked up in your leaden chest_  
_Or you can lay mouth open on the water's edge_  
_But all your angels and your God will stitch and wash you

Oh I would like to call, call it beauty,_  
_Strained as love's become, it still amazes me_  
_And I would like to call it beauty, ...


	37. Ch 36 TLC: Redemption's Song

**A/N: These ladies make TLC the absolute best it can be: SSHG316, SavageWoman and Irritable Grizzzly. Thanks also to Nicnicd who has been guest-beta'ing while SavageWoman has been on hiatus. I would probably look very foolish if it weren't for the expertise each of them brings to making my chapters more polished and error free. Any mistakes in this draft are my fault because I sometimes miss things when I'm incorporating their edits.**

**I apologize for the lateness of this update. I had the awesome opportunity to meet three wonderful women whom I've grown to know and love in the fandom: SavageWoman, Swimom7, and Javamomma0921. They are each awesome writers and you should definitely be reading them (their story titles are in the end note). We spent four glorious days in St. Simons Island, GA together last weekend.**

"For I know _that_ my redeemer liveth, and _that_ he shall stand at the latter _day_ upon the earth."—Job 19:25

"Seeking to Forget makes exile all the longer; the secret of redemption lies in remembrance."—Richard Von Weizsaecker

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**Chapter 36 - Redemption's Song**

Edward was sitting where he'd been since Bella had regained consciousness that morning and they'd put her in a regular hospital room. He had a chair pulled flush to her bed and was holding her hand, his head bowed and resting next to her hip. Bella had wanted him to climb into the bed with her, but it was so narrow and she was still so swollen and bruised from the assault, he didn't want to take the chance of hurting her.

"I'm not going anywhere," he'd assured her. "I'll be right here every time the nurse wakes you up."

True to protocol, a nurse had been in every hour on the hour, checking to make sure she wouldn't lapse into unconsciousness again. Edward kept vigil at her bedside, checking her pulse and making sure she was breathing evenly.

All their friends and family had reluctantly gone home, but Renee assured Edward she and Charlie would be back later in the day to relieve him for a while. He didn't say anything at the time in order to avoid an argument, but he didn't want to be relieved. Bella was his life and as long as she was there, he would be there with her.

It had been twenty minutes since the last nurse check and finally Bella had fallen back asleep. He hated that they had to wake her up so often, but knew it was for her own good. She'd been sleeping more deeply this time, but after ten minutes of REM sleep, she began twitching and moaning. He realized quickly she was having a nightmare. Edward stood and leaned over next to her ear and shook her shoulder gently.

"Bella...Bella... you're safe, baby. I'm here," he murmured.

Her eyes opened, frantic at first, and then they calmed, locking onto him. "Edward..." she whispered, then squeezed his hand and closed her eyes briefly. It ripped his heart out to see the affect of Demetri's vicious attack on her. He felt so helpless but, at the same time, grateful she was alive and on the mend. Dr. Levy had talked him through all his feelings, but he still wanted to kill Demetri for violating her the way he had.

"Shh..." he soothed. "I won't let him hurt you again, awake or asleep. I'm so sorry I didn't get there sooner."

"I shouldn't have gone back alone. I should have called my dad when I couldn't get you. I'm sorry—"

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Nothing. None of this is your fault."

"Let's put it behind us, then. I promise not to feel guilty if you won't."

Edward didn't know if he could agree to that, because _he_ had missed her call _and_ taken longer than anticipated to solve the case. Had his mother not shared the information she had about Demetri…He shuddered to think what might have happened. Of course, he wanted to believe he would have gone to the Center anyway when he got her message, but would he have gotten there as quickly? The protector in him said "yes."

"I'll try," he finally answered.

~888~

As it turned out, it was good Renee and Charlie had returned to the hospital. Captain Black and Rosalie came by for Bella's statement to complete the rape kit and to have Edward sign some additional documents involving the case. Renee stayed in Bella's room with Rosalie, while Edward and Charlie went with Captain Black to an empty waiting room.

"Officer Cullen, I thought I'd have you sign off on these reports now rather than wait for you to come back. As for the time off you'll need, you've built up some family leave time," Captain Black said conspiratorially. "I'll make sure it's approved."

"Thanks, Captain." Edward shook his hand profusely. "I would have taken vacation time or leave without pay if I had to."

"I'd do the same thing, but this makes it possible for you to still take a honeymoon." He winked at Edward and then turned to include Charlie. "We've retrieved enough evidence from the electronic devices of Demetri Christos and Jane Volturi to put them away for quite a while. The Volturi girl might have to be committed first, though, since she's teetering on the brink of insanity. Either way, neither of them will be able to hurt anyone again."

"That's good," Charlie said, as Edward sat down and began signing the papers on a side table. Charlie gestured to a couple of chairs, and Captain Black sat with him. "So, they just wanted revenge?"

"Yes, it seems that Jane was ticked at Officer Cullen for slighting her when they were teenagers, and for his part in taking her dad down. They planned to terrorize as many of his family members as they could, especially the women. Bella was the big prize before getting to their ultimate target."

"The Christos family attended my church for a while when they lived here. I wonder how they became involved with Greater Son."

"Demetri and his family apparently joined COGS in Wakulla County some time before they moved to Illinois. He met Jane there. They dated throughout high school, and then she later joined him in Illinois when she started college. They were engaged to be married, but postponed it when Aro was killed.

"He and Jane then cooked up the stalker scheme. Beauvoir just made things easier for them. We know the two incidents aren't related, but we also have enough evidence on Beauvoir and Sanders to make some charges stick."

"That so-called 'church' Aro founded really messed those kids up," Charlie said, his anger spiking. He glanced at Edward, still busy skimming and signing his paperwork, and lowered his voice. "Thanks for bending the rules and allowing Edward to stay on at the Center, despite his obvious conflict of interest. If any other cop had been the liaison, the outcome for Bella in the situation with Beauvoir or Christos could have been fatal."

"It was the least I could do. Once Officer Cullen worked out so well over there, I didn't have the heart to reassign him. And of course, if I had done anything to hinder their budding romance, Renee would've never forgiven me."

"You've got that right," Charlie said with a hearty laugh.

~888~

Bella felt like she'd been run over by a Mack truck, and once she'd convinced her mother and Rosalie to give her a mirror, she confirmed that she actually looked that way, too. What she was not prepared for was how emotional she got over her appearance. Edward had been looking at her as if she was a vision from heaven. He must well and truly love her like Christ loved the Church if he could overlook her current resemblance to the Bride of Frankenstein. She giggled, even as salty tears slid quickly over her swollen cheeks and into her mouth. Rosalie and her mother rushed to console her.

"Oh, Lovely," Renee fussed as she sat on the edge of the bed and began rubbing her back. "Once you heal, you'll be as good as new."

Rosalie took the mirror and then held Bella's hand from the other side of the bed. "Trust me, the outside scars are the least of your worries—they will fade. The memories are the things that are really hard to shake. After I take your statement, I can give you the contact info for a great rape counselor here in Tallahassee."

Renee looked horrified, and Bella's jaw dropped, even as she winced. "Why would I need a rape counselor?"

Rosalie looked helplessly at Renee, who quickly answered, hoping to mitigate any damage that Rosalie's bluntness had caused. "It's customary when you go through such trauma to talk to someone about your ordeal, sweetie."

"He tried his best, but Demetri didn't rape me. I fought him like Aunt Lonette's friend did to make sure that didn't happen. I've been having bad dreams though, so I think talking to someone about the attack will help. It was so scary..."

Renee and Rosalie shared another look. "Are you sure, honey?" Renee asked.

Rosalie headed out the door, muttering. "I'm going to track down the rape kit and talk to Dr. Wardlow."

Bella dragged her eyes from Rosalie's retreating form and back to her mother. "Mom, what...? Is that what everybody thinks?" she asked, but Bella's primary concern was Edward and what that misconception had done to him.

Renee looked into her daughter's eyes. "There was... evidence... and the doctors thought it highly probable when you were admitted. The main concern was saving your life, so they waited as long as they could to do the rape kit."

"Oh no," she said. "Mom, please find Edward... I need to tell him now. It's probably eating him up inside. He always blames himself for everything, no matter what—"

"Shh...I'll go get him honey." Renee brushed the tears away and kissed her daughter's cheek softly, then pulled her into a gentle hug. Knowing that her only child had not been brutalized in that way relieved her greatly. "Calm down now... I'll go get him. But you need to stop crying first, okay? I'm afraid it might give your poor fiancé a coronary or something."

~888~

Edward had never been so happy to see Renee when she joined them in the waiting room. He didn't care about Jane and Demetri's motives anymore; he just wanted to be back at Bella's side. Distracted, he listened half-heartedly to the debriefing. He was elated when Renee whispered that Bella wanted to see him.

He thanked Captain Black one final time and rushed back to her room. He wasn't sure how much time he'd have alone with her before her parents returned, but he would make the best of it.

He stepped inside, grinning as she came into view, and closed the door behind him.

Bella smiled as widely as the healing cuts on her lips would allow. "Heeey," she said in a way that reminded him of all those months ago when he first knew that no amount of fooling around with Tanya, or any other bimbo was going to cut it for him, ever again.

Edward joined her on the bed, sitting near her feet. The bed was raised to a comfortable sitting position for her, and he took her hand and kissed her finger, just below her engagement ring. His heart swelled with the realization that she would get better and they would soon be getting married as planned.

"Hey," he said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby...so much." She moved her hand to caress his face and he almost came undone.

He wanted to hold her, but he was afraid that it would only bring her pain, so he took her hand and planted more kisses on her knuckles and then her palm. Not letting go, he rested their hands between them.

"How are you feeling? Any pain?"

"I'm good for now. They've got me plowed with painkillers, so I look worse than I actually feel."

"Good," he said. "I thought Captain Black would never stop talking. When your mom said you wanted to see me, I wanted to kiss her."

"These lips won't be out of commission for long, buster," she mock-scolded. "Give me a couple of days before you go off kissing other women, even if it is my mom."

Edward couldn't help but laugh. It was the first time he'd been able to since her ordeal. "Believe me, _I_ would have kissed your mother's cheek, but I can't say the same for Emmett, though."

"Emmett thinks my mom's hot? Since when?"

Edward shook his head. He was not comfortable with the way their conversation was going. "Since day one, but don't tell Rosalie. He'll be in the doghouse for weeks."

Bella laughed. "Oh yeah, I know. A little cougar competition would drive my girl insane. My lips are sealed."

"Your mom said you wanted to see me. Was there something you needed? Anything you want, I'll make sure you have it."

She smiled, but he could see pain behind her eyes. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened with Demetri—"

"It's okay, baby," Edward said, his voice cracking. Then he steeled himself. "He will pay for what he did to you."

She leaned over with a bit of difficulty and brushed his cheek softly with her lips. "I know... I know. I just need to tell you what really happened, so you won't feel guilty about it."

"I failed you, Bella, but I'll never fail you again. You don't have to explain, or worry about my guilt."

"Edward—"

"I'm so glad I don't know where he's housed here in the hospital, or I'd go finish ripping his balls off —"

Bella put both hands on his face and steadied him, then tracked his eyes until he held her gaze. "Edward."

"Yes?"

"He didn't rape me."

Edward didn't think he'd heard her right, or maybe Bella was subconsciously blocking out what had actually occurred.

"I prayed and asked God to help me. Then I remembered how my aunt's friend fought off her rapist. I couldn't let him take what I'd saved only for you," she said. "He probably wouldn't have beaten me up so badly if I hadn't tried to surgically remove his junk with my fingernails."

Edward hated to ask, but he wanted to be sure. "So, you're sure he didn't—?"

"No, unless he did it with damaged equipment while I was unconscious."

Edward felt like the weight of the whole world had lifted from his shoulders. While the assault was sexual in nature and a tragic thing for anyone to have to endure, he was relieved to learn that she had been able to thwart her attacker. He was so overwhelmed by this great news, he couldn't speak.

Bella squeezed his hand again, and he swallowed to clear the lump that was threatening to close his throat. She held her arms out and he laid his head on her torso, allowing her to soothe him like only she was able to do. He swallowed his tears and just barely kept himself together for her.

"Oh, thank God. Thank God," he murmured against her chest.

"All I could think of was how long I'd waited for you and how much you've sacrificed to be with me, and I couldn't let anyone take that from us. I'm so thankful for that, for both our sakes."

~888~

Edward didn't think he could be more relieved that Bella was finally being released from the hospital. His original belief was that the longer she stayed the better; however, the constant barrage of visiting friends and family made him reconsider quickly. The scheduled nurse visits throughout the night also made it difficult for her to get uninterrupted rest. He'd almost been at the point of banning visitation altogether.

On the Swans' last visit, Charlie sensed Edward's frustration and reassured him. "It's been a very hectic week, son, and I'm just about as fed up as you are with it, but they mean well. When she comes to the house tomorrow, why don't you just bring a bag and stay a few days?"

To say he'd been shocked was an understatement. While Edward fully intended to spend as much time with Bella as he could while she was recuperating, he'd expected to be welcomed during the day at the Swans' home, and then have to traipse back over to the condo every night. Charlie's offer humbled him. The reverend had truly accepted him as family.

As he proudly pushed Bella in the wheelchair out to Charlie, who was playing chauffeur, the nurse's assistant pushed a cart loaded with an obscene array of flowers, fruit, balloons, teddy bears, and get-well cards. The swelling in her face had gone down considerably, and Bella's scars were healing rapidly.

He'd only left her once in the week she'd been in the hospital, and that had been the night before, when he'd gone back to the condo to pack. When he'd returned, he walked in to find Alice and Renee giving Bella a mini-spa treatment, hospital style. It made Edward ecstatic that she had been so happy with the results. She wasn't vain, but he knew she was uncomfortable with him seeing her the way she was.

Now, she looked almost normal except for a bandage to her left temple, a magnificent shiner, a wrap on her right hand, and a few cuts and bruises. Alice had assured her that if the bruising wasn't mostly gone by the holidays, she could work her magic. Edward didn't care. All he saw was the woman he loved.

They got Bella settled into her old bedroom, and Edward deposited his things in the guest room, which went largely unused except when he was showering, or getting dressed.

The first night she was home, he fell asleep on the floor next to her bed. The next night, he slept in a stuffed chair next to her bed. By the third night, Bella coaxed him into lying down on the bed with her, and there he remained all night. He feared Charlie might discover that he wasn't using the guest room and kick him out, but the Swans seemed to have adopted a see/hear/speak no evil policy during their daughter's convalescence and were leaving them to their own devices.

They were able to manage the visits to the Swan home better, so now they only received visits after work hours, between six and eight o'clock, and it dwindled to family and close friends. Bella's aunt Lonnette and her boys were in town, so of course they also came by.

A few days later, they were in the Swan living room visiting with his mother. Edward was sitting next to Bella on the sofa, while Elizabeth was in an armchair drinking tea. Renee was at the grocery store, and Charlie was away counseling a couple of parishioners, so they had the house to themselves.

"It's such a shame that you have to go back to work the week before Thanksgiving," Elizabeth commiserated. "Are you really ready?"

Bella looked up, waiting with interest for his answer. Edward looked into her eyes and smiled, then answered his mother, his voice tinged with reluctance. "I have to go back sometime. If I didn't think I'd get totally rusty, I'd take a sabbatical until after our honeymoon." Bella smiled, satisfied with his answer, and squeezed his hand. "Besides, one of us has to go back to the Center, and since it can't be Bella, maybe the kids will settle for me."

Bella laughed. "He's so full of it, Mrs. Cullen. He's going back because that was our compromise. I can work vicariously through him from home. I really miss the kids, and they'll only be around until a couple of weeks after Thanksgiving. Alice, Maria, and Mrs. Williams have planned a lot of activities from now until the second week of December."

"I'll call Alice and find out how I can help," Elizabeth said. "Now that Charlie and I have worked out the details of the scholarship and the gym addition, I really want to be more hands-on at the Center."

"That's great," Bella said." Thank you."

"And Bella, dear, please call me Elizabeth. 'Mrs. Cullen' is rather stuffy. Even Edward has finally capitulated and calls your parents by their given names."

Bella blushed. "I know things have changed, but my parents brainwashed me when I was younger. I got into so much trouble if I didn't address grownups properly. I guess I keep forgetting that I'm now officially a grownup, too."

Edward chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Only you would allow a rule from your childhood to make you feel uncomfortable."

"I know it'll probably take some getting used to, but I really want you to be comfortable with me, and view me as Edward does. After all, you'll be my daughter soon."

Bella's sniffed and hopped up off the sofa to give Elizabeth a hug, and Edward was proud to see that his mother returned it rather enthusiastically. "That really means a lot to me," Bella said, blinking back tears.

"There, there now," Elizabeth soothed, patting her back and mirroring Bella's tears.

Edward rolled his eyes but continued to smile fondly at the display of affection between the two most important women in his life as he marveled over how completely his feelings had changed toward his mother.

Looking back, he remembered that her bout with breast cancer brought him back into her life, but the Volturi case and her brush with death caused him to give her a chance to redeem herself. Then there was Bella's example, and the teachings at City of Hope that inspired him to love her unconditionally, despite all the baggage they each carried from the past. God had really worked a miracle in that respect.

When Bella returned to sit down, Edward reached over and pulled her into his lap, and she kissed the dimple on his chin. Had his mother not been there, he was certain that move would've prompted a make-out session, but he was much better with control since he'd almost lost her. In deference to their audience, he just kissed the tip of her nose in response.

Elizabeth cleared her throat. "Now children," she said almost coyly. "I've got more news."

Edward and Bella gave her their undivided attention. Edward's brow creased. "Yes, Mom?"

"I didn't come back to Tallahassee alone," she announced. "I have a house guest."

Edward pursed his lips and shook his head in disbelief. "Don't tell me. You brought him back with you."

"Yes," Elizabeth said. "Your father didn't need to be alone during the holidays of what could be his final days on the planet. He wanted to come by the hospital while Bella was there, but he wasn't sure how you would handle that. He sends his love and his congratulations on your upcoming wedding."

Edward ran his hand through his hair, and Bella put her arms around him and held him close. She knew how volatile he could be, and was trying to circumvent his anger. Oddly, his mother's announcement didn't frustrate him as much as he would have thought. Maybe he was feeling particularly benevolent, or he was finally ready to forgive his father. Better yet, perhaps God was preparing to grant him another miracle.

He held Bella close as he looked into his mother's eyes. "Mom, next time you come into town, will you bring those letters to me?"

Elizabeth picked up her purse and approached him as Bella released him from her embrace. Reaching into her purse, Elizabeth handed him a small stack of letters tied with a ribbon.

"You came prepared, didn't you?"

Since his mother had returned, he'd been worrying how Edward, Sr. was faring alone in Indiana. It turned out his fears had been unfounded, since the man had been only twenty five miles away the entire time.

"From God's mouth to my ears," Elizabeth said simply. "I've been praying non-stop for you since I went to take care of your father. A still small voice told me during my quiet time this morning that you might be ready for these."

Edward took the letters gingerly, handling them almost as if they might be explosive, and then placed them on the sofa next to him. "I'm not making any promises," he said.

Elizabeth smiled. "No need to. God keeps them better anyway."

~888~

Bella excused herself to go upstairs and take a nap after his mother left, leaving Edward with the dreaded stack of letters. He knew she was just trying to give him privacy, because she couldn't sleep without him in the room with her due to the nightmares. He paced, eyeing the letters disdainfully.

Despite his previous estrangement from his parents, there was something intrinsic in him as a human being that yearned for a relationship with them. He'd been in denial for many years, feeding his commitment phobia by constantly recalling their mistreatment of him. As he'd gotten to know his mother better, he realized that what she'd done to him had much to do with the failure of her first marriage and her belief that the COGS dogma could heal her from it. He reasoned that if he could forgive his mother, whose transgressions against him had been many, surely he could offer the same to his father, especially now that he was dying.

He finally stopped pacing and approached the letter stack and then pulled one out of the ribbon. Looking at his father's handwriting was like looking at his own, and it gave him an eerie feeling as he slid his finger beneath the flap and opened it. The letter was dated June 10, 2003, just a few days before his twenty-first birthday.

_Dear Edward:_

_I know that you've been angry enough with me that you're probably not reading my letters, so I've decided to write the same letter to you, or some variation thereof, until you finally respond. _

_My father taught me that one of the most important abilities in life is to be able to take the pain and persevere, and I've done that, even when I'm the author of that pain. That's fine when it only affects me, but I made you grow up way before your time. Because of that, I fear that I might have ruined you for any substantive loving relationship in the future, and for that, I am truly sorry._

_I'd like to apologize for not having the guts to really be your father when you needed me most. You might think I mean my not believing you when you told me what Irina was up to, but no. I did eventually I realize that she'd lied, but by then it was too late. You were in the middle of your first tour in Afghanistan. _

_What I'm referring to is not giving you the gift of loving your mother. That was the single most important thing I could have done to be a good father to you. Your mother is one of the finest women I know. She was devoted to me, yet I didn't honor our marital vows, and I don't blame her at all for divorcing me. I should have embraced her commitment to faith and held onto her, but I was a shallow, stupid man who didn't know a good thing when I had it. _

_When Elizabeth sent you to live with me, deep down I knew the way I was living wasn't conducive to raising a child. After your mother and I divorced, I'd degenerated into a caricature of a man with no direction and no purpose in life. Alcohol became my best friend, my source of solace, and it fueled my gargantuan ego and hedonistic lifestyle. Giving you the gift of self-reliance was easy, because I never demonstrated that you could depend on me. _

_I understand from Carlisle and your mother that the Marines completed the job that neither she nor I was able to. I think it was Nietzsche who said, "When one has not had a good father, one must create one." You have done this so admirably and in spite of my inability as a parent to make any significant contribution._

_Finally, I apologize for not having been a good father to you. However, I'm thankful that you were able to both adopt and create one. Carlisle stood up for you when I did not, and for that, I will be eternally grateful to him. The USMC might think I'm off my rocker if I wrote them a letter of thanks for their part in your maturity, so I'll save that one._

_I want you to know I realize that you are a far better man than I ever was and there is nothing I did to make that happen except provide the seed to make you. And if I ever get the opportunity to say that to you, I will be happy._

_Edward Anthony Cullen, Sr._

Edward's throat closed. Given the turn of events with his father's health, the letter affected him more profoundly than he would have expected. When Bella came down and found him, he was huddled on the floor in front of the sofa, the letters, all read, scattered around him. She joined him there and wrapped him in her arms, holding him until he was ready to talk.

He gave her the rundown from the first to the last letter. Edward, Sr. began writing them when Edward was nineteen and continued each consecutive year, despite his stubborn refusal to read or respond to them. Most were written while his father was still drinking, and some of the more recent ones were between sporadic periods of sobriety.

His father had stopped drinking altogether in 2008, when his cirrhotic liver began to show signs of failing. Remembering that his mother had told him his father had made his peace with God, Edward saw a change in the timbre of the letters from 2009 forward. There was a humility that had not been there before. His father had even apologized for not allowing him to make his own career choice and withholding his college fund. In the end, he told Bella about his father's prognosis.

"Baby, I'm so sorry."

Edward cupped her face. "Don't let this upset you, Bella. You're still recuperating. I don't want this to be your burden."

"Too late for that, Cullen," she said as she leaned in to kiss him. "Everything that affects you touches me."

"Same here," he said and kissed her back. Then he began gathering up the letters, and Bella helped him.

"You know, it's freaky how similar your writing is to your dad's."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing..." And then it really hit him about all the things they shared, like the same genes and the same DNA. He was probably a great match as an organ donor for his father, but he didn't even want to go there. Not yet, anyway. They hadn't spoken in ten years, and Edward was weary with the anger he'd carried all that time.

Bella would forgive and she would encourage him to do the same. Still, he wasn't sure how he'd react to the father who'd failed him so miserably. The letters read as if he was a man who honestly had remorse for the things he'd done—or had not done. Edward had to give him credit for having written even before he was sick, so maybe his newfound humility wasn't just because he was dying. Could he let his father die without offering him a part of his liver?

Bella noted he'd gone introspective. "What?"

He tied the letters back together and took a few moments to answer. "Want to take a ride with me to my mother's tomorrow morning after your appointment?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Bella said with a brilliant smile.

~888~

Bella's appointment was with a psychologist right down the street from Dr. Levy's office, and Edward was really tempted to pay him an unexpected visit. However, he'd just had an appointment two days before and they'd discussed his father. The only problem was that it was in the context of him being miles away in Indiana. Now that Edward knew he was in Crawfordville, he felt conflicted.

It had seemed so easy when he'd decided to go see him the night before, but in the light of day, he felt like he was fifteen again and was requesting an audience with the emotionally-stunted alpha male he'd grown to hate. The discovery that his father had made gestures toward reconciliation had really thrown him for a loop. Perhaps he owed it to himself to at least see him, to determine whether his father had really changed. He would hate for him to die without even attempting to reconcile. Then he would always wonder if he'd done the right thing.

Before he knew it, Bella's hour was up and they were in the car taking the familiar trek to his mother's sprawling estate. As if Bella could sense his unease, she took his hand across the console. Even in the midst of dealing with her own emotional turmoil she supported him. The nightmares were practically the single abiding remnant of her ordeal. He glanced at her beautiful face, which was continuing to heal and beginning to resemble the flawless perfection it had been before the assault.

It still angered him to see the fading bruises that were a constant reminder of the terror Bella had endured. A man who could do that to a woman was no man in his opinion. Demetri was a monster, and Edward was grateful he was locked up so he couldn't do that to anyone else. It was killing him that she would have to face her attacker one last time to testify against him. The only saving grace was the certainty that Demetri and Jane would pay for what they'd done to Bella, Alice, Rosalie and his mother.

He pulled into the long driveway and parked behind his mother's Cadillac, then looked at Bella who was regarding him with concern.

"I'm okay," he reassured her and took a deep breath. His heart would say otherwise.

She squeezed his hand. "It's normal to be nervous in this situation. I can stay in the room with you or have tea with your mother while you two talk."

"I want you by my side. There's nothing we could say to each other that I wouldn't want you to hear."

"Maybe not, but your father might be uncomfortable —"

"Tough. He's gonna have to get used to the idea that you're going to be my wife."

She stared at him, wide-eyed. "Okay..."

"Bella," he said quickly and leaned close until his forehead was against hers. "I'm sorry."

"I know," she said quietly. "It's stressful, but I have a really good feeling about this. I think your father may have rededicated himself to his faith." Edward snorted, but she continued, raising her hand to caress his cheek. "You don't have that kind of faith for generations and not come back to revisit it, especially given the crisis his life is in."

"My dad hasn't set foot in a church since I was nine. It's humbling to be faced with your own mortality. Maybe that's all this is for him."

"Even if it is, our duty is not to judge but to point him to God. What he does with it is his business."

He was marrying such a wise woman. "Are you sure you weren't supposed to be Rev. Charlie Swan, Jr.?"

She giggled. "You'd better be glad I'm not."

He chuckled, giving her a peck on the lips, and went around to open the door for her.

When he looked up, his mother was already standing at the threshold of the front door, waiting for them. She greeted them warmly, but did some extra fussing over Bella, whom she escorted to the settee and insisted she put her feet up. Bella obliged, and his mother turned his attention to him.

"Ted will be out shortly," she said. "He let me cut his hair. His condition has made it very damaged and brittle, so he wanted to look as nice as he could—it's been so long since you've seen each other."

Edward nodded and shoved his hands nervously into his pockets. He went over to Bella, but remained standing.

Elizabeth looked at him quizzically. "You can sit down."

"I know...um, maybe in a second."

"I have coffee, tea, and snickerdoodles. Would you care for something?"

"Yes, I was just telling Edward that I'd love to have some of your tea," Bella said. "And maybe a couple of snickerdoodles. Oh my gosh, those things are to die for."

"I'll have a cup of coffee, black, thanks," Edward said quietly.

"Coming right up." His mother smiled and left the room.

Bella reached for his hand and he finally sat down next to her. His thoughts were everywhere but in the here and now. He recalled with startling detail the day he left home after fighting over his father's wife's accusations and then his father's refusal to free up his college fund.

To blow off steam, he'd caught the bus and gone downtown, where he ran into a Marine Recruiter he'd met at school who painted him a picture of an elite group of soldiers whose core values were honor, courage and commitment. That day he'd enlisted, and his fate had been sealed. He'd couch-dived at a buddy's' house until he shipped out to the Marine Recruit Training Depot at Parris Island, South Carolina.

Bella caressed his hand, breaking his reverie, just as a wiry, practically emaciated man, dressed impeccably and sporting a new haircut came shuffling into the room. Edward closed his eyes briefly. He'd expected a slightly grayer version of the father he'd left ten years before, the one who was constantly yelling at him. Instead, this shell stood before them. His body was different, but his voice was the same, even as tears poured down his cheeks.

"Edward," he said simply and pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped eyes that were yellowed from jaundice. "I promised myself I wouldn't get emotional, but it's been too long." He held his hands up as if in surrender. "I don't expect you to welcome me with open arms or anything, son, but it sure would be nice to shake your hand."

Edward was stunned into silence, but Bella nudged him. The trance broken, he finally stood as his father moved in. They shook hands briefly.

"I know," Edward Sr. said as he stepped back. "I'm physically half the man I was, but spiritually more whole than I've ever been. If you can imagine, I'm actually doing better. When your mother came I was skin and bone. Her cooking, even with my dietary restrictions, fattened me up in no time."

Edward lapsed almost automatically into the son he'd been a decade ago, acknowledging his father with a title of respect. "Sir."

His father smiled and looked around him to where Bella sat on the sofa. "You must be Bella."

"Yes." She smiled, blushing, and went to stand, but his father tutted. "Please, stay seated." He turned to Edward. "She's stunning, son, but I never expected any less from you." He walked over to Bella and took her hand. "I'm so very sorry about the ordeal you experienced recently. The Volturis have always been as mad as loons. I told Elizabeth that very thing eighteen years ago, but what do I know, right?" He rolled his eyes playfully and gestured to Edward as he sat in the armchair adjacent to them. "Sit down, son."

Edward obediently sat back down next to Bella, and he realized with some chagrin that the moment he'd heard his father's voice, everything he'd rehearsed in his head went out the window. It was like he was standing in front of a drill Instructor at basic training again, only his father was the ranking officer, and he was a sand flea. If nothing else, his father was good at taking control of a situation and placing himself in a position of power, even while feigning vulnerability.

"So, congratulations on your upcoming marriage. Beth says New Year's Day, right?"

"Yes s—" Edward was about to say "Yes, sir" again, but this jerk didn't deserve the honor. "Yes, we thought it would be appropriate to begin our new life together in the New Year."

Edward stiffened as Bella giggled before replying. Even she seemed to fall prey to his father's charms. "To be honest, Mr. Cullen, he let my mother and me pick the date."

"Smooth move, son," his father praised. "Smart to ingratiate yourself with the new mother-in-law."

Edward's pulse was pounding. Was this guy any different? From the show he was putting on, he'd hazard to guess, no, but he couldn't be objective. As his father peppered Bella with questions, Edward glared at him until his mother re-entered the room with a tray.

His father jumped up to help her, and his mother blushed. _Well, damn, looks like the old man hasn't changed at all._ He was so angry, he couldn't see straight. Someone had to say something and not let him get away with this. He waited until Bella had her cookies and tea, and his mother sat down before he set the record straight.

Edward sipped his own coffee and set his cup back on the saucer. "So, let me get this straight," Edward said calmly. "You breeze in here with your dog and pony show and charm the women in the house, and we're supposed to act like the last ten years never happened?"

Edward Sr.'s face fell, and his eyes went to the floor. A few seconds later when he looked up, it was as if he'd become another person. "You...you're right son, I should have approached you with more humility. I'm not that immature guy anymore who has to be in charge all the time, but I was determined not to appear weak. The truth is… I am. I'm dying, and I've never met a man more deserving of his fate. I was a horrible husband to your mother. I was an even more horrible father to you. I almost single-handedly ruined your chances of ever having a relationship with a beautiful girl like your Bella. I allowed a lying woman to come between us, and I didn't give you the freedom to make your own career choice. Your service in the Marines saved you from my feeble attempt at raising you and made you a better man than I ever could have." He sighed. "I know, I told you all this in my letters, but you're right. You needed to hear it from me and to see my eyes while I was saying it. Please forgive me, son."

The tears were falling again, and it was as if Edward could see into his father's soul. He had never heard him speak so humbly and with such contrition.

He continued huskily, wiping his eyes with his handkerchief again, "All I need before I go to my grave is to know that you forgive me."

Finally, Edward felt like he was in the presence of the man who had written the letters he'd read the night before. He'd been in a different place when he reconciled with his mother, and the process of forgiveness had taken time. He wasn't sure if the knowledge that his father was dying was the catalyst or if it was the grace of God working in his heart, but he couldn't withhold his forgiveness. He stood and approached his father, whose head was bowed, as if waiting for permission to speak again.

"Dad," Edward said softly. His father looked up as he towered over him, and Edward extended his arms. "I forgive you."

Edward Sr. moved as quickly as his condition would allow, and the next thing Edward knew, he was being embraced by his father for the first time in more than ten years.

When they emerged from their embrace, his mother had joined Bella on the sofa and they were holding each other and bawling their eyes out. He and his father did the only gentlemanly thing they could think to do and comforted the women.

~888~

**E/N: So, didn't get to the end of the story in this chapter as planned, but I had to give Copward an opportunity to interact with Edward Sr. This means, there will be a Chapter 37. The wedding and honeymoon are up next and if this chapter wraps everything up neatly, there may not be an epilogue to the story proper, but there will be at least two epilogues of future outtakes that I owe to the three awesome women who purchased TLC for FGB.**

**Recs: "The Foreign Papers" by Javamomma0921, "My Place In Line" by Swimom7, and "Sleeping With A Monster" by SavageWoman.**

**Tell me, what do you think about Edward Sr.? Review and let me know. **


	38. Ch 37 TLC: Safe In My Arms

**A/N: These ladies made this last chapter of TLC the absolute best it could be: SSHG316, SavageWoman, Irritable Grizzzly, and Nicnicd. I also want to thank Songster51 for catching a major faux pas that I was able to change minutely and still make it work, I think. You be the judge.**

**Many thanks to my betas, pre-readers, readers and reviewers who have been with me through most of this story. I will give you all a proper thanks when I post the Epilogue (yeah, I changed my mind. LOL). Enjoy!**

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**IN MY ARMS**

**by Plumb**

**(excerpt)**

**Clouds will rage**

**And storms will race in **

**But you will be **

**Safe in my arms. **

**Rains will pour down **

**Waves will crash all around **

**But you will be **

**Safe in my arms.**

**TLC - Chapter 37 - Safe In My Arms**

Edward officially moved back into the condo after Thanksgiving in preparation for Bella joining him there after their honeymoon. Emmett, Ben, James, and Jasper had offered to help him move Bella's things from her apartment a couple of days before the holiday. Despite the fact that he would be surrounded by select pieces of her furniture, he didn't feel like he was even home, yet. His home was wherever she was, and the past few weeks of frenzied activity in preparation for their wedding made him realize it even more.

Bella was still at her parents' where she'd been since the assault, save for a couple of weekends they'd managed to steal away from both sets of parents before the holidays. The weekend before Thanksgiving, they had taken some time with a hormonal Alice to solidify most of the wedding plans and it had gone so well, they actually managed to have a relaxing weekend with the Whitlocks. On Sunday after church, they got together for a late lunch to go over the details one final time.

"So, who's this fifth couple coming in with the parents and grandparents?" Alice asked, crinkling her nose.

Bella seemed distracted by her salad. "What couple?" Edward asked.

Alice showed him the notebook that she and Bella had been working on diligently all weekend. He read the names, "Nana and Deacon Wilson, Renee and Charlie, Carlisle and Esme, Elizabeth and Ted, Reisa and Jared. Reisa and Jared?" His eyes shot up to Bella's, and she promptly stuffed her mouth with salad again, but Edward wouldn't let her get away with that. "Baby, you know I'm kinda not one of Jared's favorite people, right?"

Realizing she couldn't avoid his questions forever, she rushed to defend her choice. "Sweetie, I know but I thought he and Reisa could stand in for Paul on our special day. I know Reisa would be more than happy to—we've just got to get her to work on Jared."

Edward handed the notebook back across the table to Alice and frowned. "I dunno—"

"Let's just call her later, okay? I figure she has a few weeks to get him to come around."

Jasper, bemused, kept eating his salad as he watched to see how the scenario would play out. Alice impatiently tapped her pen on the notebook page, on the ready to either cross the names out or keep them.

Bella leaned over, cupped his face, and kissed him softly. Edward smiled and shook his head as it dawned on him that he was marrying a force to be reckoned with. Nothing dissuaded her from looking for the good in people.

He caved. "Okay, we can call her tonight."

Bella squealed and clapped her hands looking so much like Alice, Edward and Jasper shared a look. Rather than comment, they dove back into their food. Alice smiled a Mona Lisa smile and kept her cool. Either the pregnancy had calmed her, or she and Bella had briefly exchanged personalities. Edward didn't care. Seeing her happy after all that had transpired, trumped everything else.

He'd learned from Captain Black that the trial probably wouldn't happen until the spring, so they had a few months for her to prepare, but Edward was more concerned that she might not have enough time to prepare for his tentative decision to give his father part of his liver. He'd been wrestling with it for a couple of weeks now, and he was still not sure how to broach the subject with her.

How do you tell your bride-to-be that a few weeks after your honeymoon you wanted to undergo major surgery to give part of a vital organ away? He wasn't afraid that she wouldn't agree to it; he just wasn't sure of the timing, but regardless of his misgivings, he would need to tell her, and soon. Next week he would have to undergo a battery of tests to determine his suitability.

While Bella was seeing her neurologist the week before, he had spoken to Carlisle and asked him to set something up with one of his many colleagues. Of course, Carlisle had been eager to do that, and share everything he knew about the process—that was, after he registered his surprise that Edward was even considering it.

_"Your inquiry alone is a testament to how thoroughly you've grasped God's grace. I'm so proud of you, Edward." Carlisle's blue eyes were misty, but he pushed forward. "You would quite possibly be a perfect candidate as a donor. It's a shame. Both your mother and I would have happily done so, if we'd met the criteria."_

_"Wait...Mom asked to be a donor?"_

_Carlisle quickly put an end to that line of questioning. "She did ask, but as I said, we're not good candidates. I'm fifty-seven, two years above the age limit, and while your mother is only fifty-four and might have been considered, she's had the breast cancer to contend with and Ted wouldn't hear of her doing it."_

_"Oh." Edward was shocked over his father's protectiveness toward his mother. He hadn't been particularly self-sacrificing in the past. "So what does the process entail for me?"_

_"As a young man, you would fare extremely well. Over the years the operation has become even safer for both the donor and the recipient. The incidence of significant complications is minute, and the probability of death is under one percent. You must donate of your own free will, and this will be discussed in a psychological exam. Your blood group must match, and since you're Ted's son, that shouldn't be a problem. The evaluation by the transplant team takes approximately two to three days, and the operation itself involves a liver cutting technique that is safe and practically bloodless. They would take about half of your liver, which has immense reserve and will grow back fairly quickly, usually in two to three weeks."_

_"If I were to do this, how soon would I have to do it? I mean, I'm getting married in a little over a month."_

_Carlisle grinned. "Ted's MELD, or model for end-stage liver disease score, is hovering somewhere around a forty-seven. Now, should it get any lower in the next few weeks, I would contend that he might need the transplant to happen in late January, early February at the latest."_

_"This means I might need to take a leave of absence from the force. How long would this keep me down?"_

_"After the operation, donors stay in the hospital for five to ten days. Another three to four weeks of recuperation would be required at home, but then you can resume normal activity and return to work six to eight weeks after surgery. Heavy or strenuous physical activity, or sports including lifting weights, can be resumed three months after surgery."_

_"What about...you know...?" Edward was uncharacteristically shy about asking his uncle about sex with Bella for some unknown reason._

_Carlisle quickly put him out of his misery. "Sexual activity can be resumed as soon as the donor feels well enough. There are also no dietary or any other restrictions, and you'll be able to lead a completely normal life with normal liver function without any decrease in the longevity of life or any other long-term consequences."  
_  
Edward looked at Bella who was chattering away with Alice. Underneath her makeup, the bruises, though fading, were lingering. Her nightmares continued sporadically, and she had agreed to terminate her lease and stay with her parents until the wedding. He wasn't ready to put anything else on her plate just now.

Since his reconciliation with his father, they had made a point of visiting with his parents as often as they could. Edward found it strange that his parents were cohabitating again, and that it wasn't a war zone. His parents had mellowed quite a bit over the years, and they each seemed to make the most of their present time together, choosing to focus on the holidays and the wedding, rather than Ted's rapidly diminishing time. His parents didn't mention the subject of the transplant again, and Edward was perplexed.

He and Bella split their Thanksgiving holiday between the homes of the three families, much as they'd done on Memorial Day. They had an early brunch at Carlisle and Esme's, a late lunch with Bella's parents, and then dinner with his mom and dad, after which the younger couples partied at Emmett and Rosalie's home. Edward had been concerned that the activities of the day would tire Bella out, so they made sure she got a nap at the condo between lunch and dinner.

The usual suspects had assembled, but this time they included James and Maria, the newest couple to join their circle of friends. They were on the McCarty's deck and the weather was perfect, and it was just cold enough that the mosquitoes had gone on hiatus. Edward was with Emmett in a corner, while Bella talked with Angela and Maria, as Ben and James hovered. Alice and Jasper were snuggled on the porch swing, and Rosalie had gone into the kitchen to get another bottle of wine.

"You were smart to insist on a short engagement, dude," Emmett said. "It gives you no time to get cold feet."

Edward glanced at Bella who was laughing at something Angela said. "When she's that perfect, there's no room for cold feet."

Emmett looked at Bella too. "I'll say, Bro." His gaze lingered over her form just a little too long for Edward's liking. "Hey!" Edward protested with a hiss. "You're such a perv, man. You've only been married six months. Respect the code."

"Code be damned." Emmett took a swig of his beer. "I'm married—not dead. Besides, it's okay to admire the goods as long as you're not handling the merchandise."

"I don't look at Rosalie like that, so I'd appreciate a little control on your part."

"Chill. You're getting married in a month. I'll behave when Rev. Swan pronounces you."

"Stop it, or I'm giving your job to Jasper."

Emmett looked hurt. "Not cool, man. Jasper's only been your cousin-in-law or whatever for a few years. We've had each other's backs since middle school—"

Edward couldn't resist smirking. "Don't get your panties in a wad, Emma."

"Shut the fuck up, Edwina," Emmett shot back.

Rosalie came out of the house carrying a chilled bottle of wine and another beer for her husband. "So, why is that every time you two get together your conversation degenerates to name calling?"

"He started it!" they accused simultaneously.

At some point, Bella came over to Edward and put her arms around his waist from behind him. "Who started what?" she asked.

Edward took her arm. "Em and I were just—"

"Squabbling like the bitches they are," Rosalie chimed in as she topped off his and Bella's wine. "What would they do if they didn't have us?" She let the semi-rhetorical question hang in the air as she drifted over to their other guests, refreshing their drinks.

"I don't even want to entertain that thought," Bella said, but then gave him a playful peck on the lips to soften the blow.

"Neither do I," Edward agreed.

"You got that right," Emmett said with an exaggerated shudder.

Edward looked at Bella, barely able to contain his glee. "I've got a surprise for you."

Bella shook her head. "What now?"

"I think you're gonna like this," Emmett assured her and went to the end of the deck where they had previously set up a couple of stools, music stands, instruments, and an amp.

~888~

Bella allowed Edward to escort her to the deck chair she'd been occupying earlier with the comfy cushions and the warm afghan, attempting not to let her tiredness show. Edward joined Emmett, Jasper, and James, and they each took up their instrument of choice. Edward was on acoustic guitar, James took the bass, Jasper a banjo, and Emmett the cello.

Ben, proudly brandishing a tambourine, gave Angela his sexiest look. "I may not be playing any of the big instruments, but I slap a mean tune on this thing," he said, shaking it for emphasis.

"That's okay, baby," Angela said as she perched on the arm of Bella's chair. "We'll be making the only music that counts on Valentine's Day."

"Why, you little hussy!" Bella stage-whispered to her.

"Don't pretend like you and Edward won't be doing the same thing." Bella's face turned beet red, and Edward chuckled, as their friends all made appropriate catcalls. "Come to think of it, how in the hell did it happen that I get engaged first, but you're beating me to the altar?"

Bella shrugged.

"Blame it on her anxious fiancé," Edward said as he tuned up his guitar.

"You and Maria might want to limit your time with this group," Jasper said to James. "Looks like everyone who joins ends up getting married." James made a cross with two fingers and pushed it into Jasper's face.

"Aye dios mio," Maria said theatrically and crossed herself, but she caught James's eye and smiled coyly at him.

Edward cleared his throat. "The guys and I were talking the other day about how little time we had to go through all the rites of passage before taking that big step, so they planned this little get-together for Bella and me in lieu of an engagement party. Then James had the awesome idea that we should serenade you ladies, so to speak, since we realized that we all play some kind of musical instrument... except Ben."

Ben scowled. "I may not play an instrument," he said, puffing his chest out rather smugly, "but who beat you all at Texas Hold 'em?" He brushed his nails on his shirt as if to polish them, and then looked around rather nonchalantly.

"Shut up and play," Emmett groused.

Rosalie laughed. "Even I beat Em at that game. It's actually kind of hot that your man plays cards so well, Ange," she said, high-fiving Angela.

"How did I let this get so out of hand?" Edward said, looking heavenward, and then strumming a chord to signal everyone to come to order. "Okay, as I was saying before someone began tooting their own horn—" he glared playfully at Ben "—we decided we would sing for the ladies tonight, and I get to begin because I'm marrying this beautiful woman right here on New Year's Day."

He smiled his signature-crooked smile, and Bella knew she had to be practically fluorescent she was blushing so hard.

"This song, 'January Wedding,' is by the Avett Brothers, and I'd swear they wrote it for us if I didn't know that Seth Avett wrote it for his wife, Susan. But I'm borrowing it, and this is for you, Isabella Marie Swan."

When the music began, Bella thought it sounded like something out of _O Brother Where Art Thou_, and her Edward was rocking the George Clooney part, but the strings blended in this soft little melody that had her wondering when they'd had time to practice. Then Edward's Jeff Buckley-esque voice was serenading her:

_She keeps it simple  
And I am thankful for her kind of lovin'  
'Cause it's simple_

_No longer do we wonder if we're together_  
_We're way past that_  
_And I've already asked her_  
_So in January we're gettin' married_

Despite her best effort, Bella's eyes teared up, and Edward walked over to her with the guitar and pinned his gaze to hers, willing her not to cry. Clearly he was getting emotional, too, as the timbre of his voice changed audibly in the next verse. _  
_

_She's talkin' to me with her voice  
Down so low I barely hear her  
But I know what she's sayin'  
I understand because my heart and hers are the same  
And in January we're gettin' married _

Edward nodded to Angela, and she rubbed Bella's back as she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands.

_And I was sick with heartache  
And she was sick like Audrey Hepburn when I met her  
But we would both surrender_

_True love is not the kind of thing you should turn down_  
_Don't ever turn it down_

Bella couldn't believe how perfect this song was for them. Somehow someone else had lived their story and had catalogued it in a song_._

_I hope that I don't sound too insane when I say  
There is darkness all around us  
I don't feel weak but I do need sometimes for her to protect me  
And reconnect me to the beauty that I'm missin'  
So in January we're gettin' married_

And just when she thought it couldn't be any more intimate and personal, it ended with words that wouldn't allow her to keep her cool, and Edward was practically speaking the words as he ended, his voice was so thick with emotion.

_No longer does it matter what circumstances we were born in  
She knows which birds are singin'  
And the names of the trees where they're performin' in the mornin  
And in January we're gettin' married _

"Come January let's get married," he spoke the final words in her ear as he slung the guitar behind his back and took her into his arms and kissed her tears away.

**~888~**

Shortly, before Christmas, Edward's father had an episode that put him in the hospital for a couple of days. Carlisle assured Edward that it was routine to perform a paracentesis, which was a procedure to remove some of the excess fluid that had built up in his abdominal cavity.

It worried him that they could conceivably lose his father before he ever returned from his honeymoon, and realized then it was time to let Bella know before he talked to his father.

They were decorating the condo, or more accurately, he was doing all the lifting and climbing while Bella assembled the ornaments. They had finished the tree and were hanging the wreath on the front door when she said something to him and he totally zoned out.

"Did you hear me, baby?" Bella said, her brow furrowed in concern.

He sighed. "I'm sorry, I was thinking about my dad. What did you say?"

"It was nothing. Just the never-ending list of wedding details..."

"It is something. I should have been paying more attention."

"I get it. Your dad is dying, and this hospital scare makes it real." She rubbed his back. "Come on let's have a cup of hot chocolate and talk."

He tried to insist on preparing it, but she nixed that idea. "I'm not an invalid, and last time I checked, I think I remember how to boil water."

His feisty Bella was back, and he chuckled as he threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay...you're right. You're practically one-hundred-percent, and I need to start treating you accordingly."

They sat facing each other at the bar while the water heated, and she took his hand in hers. "He gets out tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, barring any other complications."

"Have you thought about what will happen if UNOS doesn't find him a liver soon?"

"Yes...Well, actually I've thought about it a great deal…and decided to do something about it," he confessed.

"Meaning?"

"I had myself tested to see if I was a match."

"When?"

"A few days before Thanksgiving."

"And are you?"

"Yes."

She touched his face. "Are you going to do it?"

"I'd like to, but wanted to talk to you about it first."

She raised her other hand to his face, locking eyes with him. "I would do it for Charlie in a heartbeat, so you do what you have to do."

He swallowed the lump in his throat and kissed her hard. "Thank you, baby."

"For what?"

"For understanding."

"Of course I would. I love you, and the last ten years with your parents was stolen from you. If I can be supportive in helping you get that time back, I'm here for you."

"It'll mean I'll be out of commission shortly after we're married."

"You're strong and you'll be better in no time. Plus, I'll truly be able to demonstrate that I will care for you in sickness and in health right away." She smiled. "You just did that for me. Let me do this for you."

He said the only word he could without bawling his freaking eyes out. "Okay."

**~888~**

**New Year's Eve**

Bella considered a rehearsal dinner-slash-New Year's Eve party the best idea Alice had ever had. Renee, Elizabeth, and Esme were thrilled to get a chance to participate by co-hosting the events at the Doubletree Hotel downtown, which was only a stone's throw from the condo. The rehearsal dinner was an intimate event held in a private dining room.

Their largest ballroom was transformed for the New Year's Eve party that rivaled a celebration in Times Square. Bella wanted to pinch herself, because it was simply unbelievable. She looked up into the eyes of the gorgeous man who would be her husband within a matter of hours, and smiled.

He leaned down with his mouth next to her ear. "What?"

"I was just thinking we'll be checked into the honeymoon suite at The Betsy in Miami this time tomorrow night."

"Then we'll be off to Seychelles."

"Well, that's great, too, but one thing at a time." Then she whispered to him the part she was most looking forward to, and he laughed out loud and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm looking forward to that as well…and the rest of our lives...after my recovery, that is."

They both turned and looked at Edward Sr. He and Elizabeth were cozy and all smiles at their table in the corner. Bella noticed that they had been acting suspiciously like a couple in love, not two people living together in peaceful coexistence, as Elizabeth had reassured her son. She sounded as if she protested too much to Bella, who had mentioned it to Edward, but he wasn't ready for the truth. Not yet.

When Edward told his parents he was approved to be a donor, Ted was shocked and grateful, but Elizabeth had clutched Ted and together they sobbed as if they had been given a one-way ticket to heaven without the dying part. Edward might be in denial, but Bella knew that when Ted recovered, there would be another wedding.

Edward cupped her face and searched her eyes. "What are you thinking about?"

She smiled and answered him truthfully. "Weddings."

After the countdown to the New Year, Bella was whisked away by Angela and her other bridesmaids to the hotel suites upstairs, while Edward was taken to the condo by Emmett and the guys. Bella's two best friends and sorority sisters from Spelman, Chandra and Toye, rounded out her side of the wedding party. Angela was her maid of honor, Alice and Rosalie her matrons of honor, and Maria, Chandra, and Toye, her bridesmaids.

Emmett was Edward's best man and would stand with Edward at the altar, but would escort Rosalie back down the aisle once the ceremony was over. Seth and Alvin would be escorting Toye and Chandra, respectively. Logistics had been a nightmare for Bella, considering how she wanted to honor all of her friends on their special day, but in the end, she hadn't been able to choose between them, so her three closest local friends all got top spots. Rosalie teased her that she'd "wimped out," but she teased her right back.

"What if I'd just chosen Alice and Angela?"

"I would have been content to let Emmett escort Angela. I'm not that jealous...right?"

"Trust me," Bella said. "It's better this way."

Their day had begun early that morning with the requisite beauty appointments and spa treatments, and after the adrenaline wore off from the New Year's celebration , they were practically catatonic when they got up to the suites, and groaned when Alice suggested "bonding games."

Toye asked, "Do pregnancy hormones give you super-human stamina or something? Ladies, I don't know about the rest of you, but my eyeballs hurt, I'm so tired."

Bella laughed, and when she saw Alice's expression, she laughed more, and then became almost hysterical.

Eventually Rosalie grew concerned. "Bella...what the hell?" She stalked over to her. "If you don't stop this right now I'm going to slap you."

Bella gasped through her giggle fit. "Are you...crazy, Rosalie? You want me...to have your handprint...on my face...when I walk down the aisle...this afternoon?"

Chandra, said, "See, Bella, you're better than I am, girl. Blondie and I would be rolling on this floor if she threatened to slap me, friend or not."

Rosalie glared at Chandra, who just rolled her head and stood her ground. Bella found the presence of mind to step between them. "We're supposed to be having fun together, and I'm sorry but I'm just tired, and—" she giggled again "—and it just feels so good to feel so good."

"Can't we play just one game?" Alice pouted. "Remember the good time we had before Rosalie's wedding?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes and backed off. "I'm not in the mood to wipe the floor with your friend and ruin your wedding, Bella. Let's decide what we're going to do, or I'm going to bed."

"You and what army?" Chandra taunted. Bella put her hands on Chandra's shoulders and whispered, "Rosalie may look like just your average pretty white girl, but she's a police officer. You don't want to go there."

Chandra folded her arms. "I'm still not scared of her."

Toye joined Bella in talking her down. "Be afraid...be very afraid," she said ominously.

"Come on you guys, this is Bella's special night, and the last quality time we'll get to spend time with her until after the honeymoon. We're all tired, but let's at least do one 'bonding game,'" Angela said.

Maria, who'd been quiet up until now, finally spoke up and said, "I know a fun Portuguese drinking game. This way we get a nightcap, we have some laughs, and go to bed, okay?"

"But I can't drink," Alice protested.

"Maybe not alcohol, but you can drink enough juice that the baby will tap-dance on your bladder and make it fun for you, no?"

"Okay, I'm in." Alice grinned.

Maria explained the rules. Basically, a question was posed about sex, and if it was something you had done before, you took a drink. If it was something you hadn't done, you were safe. Figuring hard liquor would guarantee none of them would be coherent the next morning, they used a bottle of wine they'd grabbed off the table at the party, and basically, the person who'd imbibed the most by the end was the winner.

Their intention had been to do one bottle and go to bed, but an hour later, Alice was crossing her legs and squirming uncontrollably, her bladder was so full, and she took off running to the bathroom after declaring the game over. Rosalie, Chandra, and Toye were passed out, Angela was singing "Auld Lange Syne," Maria was cursing everybody out in Portuguese, and Bella was drunk-dialing Edward.

**~888~**

Bella stood resplendent in her satin and pearl wedding gown, waiting beside her father to enter the church. He was, as her grandfather would have said, about as nervous as a cat in a dog pound. She might have been as nervous as he was if her fiancé had not acted quickly this morning to get everyone back on track.

Edward had sent Gail Williams to the suite to rouse them. She couldn't remember what she'd said to him in the wee hours of the morning that triggered that move, but she was glad he'd done it.

Bella was embarrassed that her most senior volunteer had seen all of them, with the exception of Alice, in varying degrees of hangovers, but it had been exactly what the doctor ordered. Mrs. Williams brought her late husband's hangover remedy, made them all drink it, and then sent them off to the showers. The base was tomato juice, but Bella didn't dare ask what the other ingredients were. It was not a tasty concoction, but it did the trick.

Then Mrs. Williams had hung around and helped them prepare. She was a near-expert at wielding bobby pins, and she helped Alice, Rosalie, and Chandra with their hair while Alice helped Maria, Toye, and Bella. By the time Renee showed up, they were all big fans of the woman who'd single-handedly saved the day.

As the organ music changed, heralding the bride's arrival with the classic wedding march, the guests shuffled to their feet and Charlie said, "Okay, baby girl, this is it. I think I know what your answer is going to be, but I have to ask. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"You're going to make this moment a cliché, Dad? Really?" she said, rolling her eyes. "For the record, I want to do this more than anything else in the world. I love Edward, irrevocably."

"I have to say, you couldn't have picked a better one, in my opinion." Bella wasn't sure, but she thought she saw a spark of pride in her father's eyes. At any rate, that statement, coming from him, spoke volumes.

He laced her arm through his, squared his shoulders, and put on his game face as the sanctuary doors swung open. They moved down the aisle so effortlessly, it was as if they were floating. They smiled and nodded to the guests on either side of them. The pews were filled to capacity, even the balcony, from what Bella could see.

Through his smile, Charlie said only loud enough for her to hear, "Be nice if it was like this every Sunday."

Bella didn't answer, because she could only see her groom, his love and adoration reflected in his eyes. She only hoped he could see the same in hers.

When they made it the altar, Charlie asked himself the question, "Who gives this woman...?" since he was both the father of the bride, and the officiator, he and Renee answered together, "We, her parents, do." Charlie placed her hand in Edward's and then took his place in front of them to begin the ceremony.

Having given herself the pep-talk just that morning, she was still struggling to keep her emotions in check as she locked eyes with Edward. He seemed so calm and in control of himself, and his smile anchored her.

"I love you," he whispered as Charlie began the ceremony.

Her heart was filled with so much love for him. "I love you, too. Thanks for everything this morning." She looked over at Rosalie and Chandra, the tallest of the bridesmaids who were standing together at the end and smiling at each other as if they were best friends. The tension between them the night before had been forgotten as they'd bonded over their sexual exploits.

"You're welcome. Thank you for facilitating a miracle." He nodded toward Reisa and Jared, who sat proudly on the groom's side next to his parents. Jared wore a button on his lapel, and Reisa had a button on her corsage of Paul's picture in his Marine dress uniform.

Bella beamed at him. "It was only fitting. He needed to be here for you. And he is...in spirit."

Edward's eyes misted. "I'm so glad I'm marrying you. You are beautiful inside and out—"

They were so caught up in their own little conversation they hadn't realized Charlie was at the point in the ceremony where he was directly addressing them.

He tapped the mic. "Er, Edward, Bella...do you need a moment?" Charlie teased. The congregation laughed, Bella blushed, and Edward apologized profusely.

"Sorry, Rev. Swan...Yes, I do...we do... I mean, no, we don't need a moment, but my answer for all the questions is 'I do.'"

There was laughter again, and then Charlie proceeded with the vows.

In the middle of Charlie's sermonette, Bella took a moment to look around at all their family and friends who mattered to them. If this wasn't the best day ever, she didn't know what was.

**~888~**

When they arrived at the door of their suite at The Betsy, Edward swept Bella off her feet to carry her over the threshold. The bellman opened the door and placed their luggage on the stand in the closet, before leaving quickly and discreetly after Edward slipped him a tip. Bella kissed him enroute and he used his instinct to find the bed, where he gently settled her onto it.

Later, they would notice the contemporary colonial design boasting a cathedral ceiling and a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean, the technology and amenities blending seamlessly with the architecture, grace, and convenience of yesteryear. However, at the moment, they only had eyes for each other. Edward kissed his wife again briefly before sprinting to the door and making a show of taking the "do not disturb" sign from the doorknob and placing it outside before he closed the door again. Bella, kneeling on the bed, began undressing as he approached her.

Edward chuckled. "Anxious, Mrs. Cullen?"

She shot him a "puh-lease" look. "I've been waiting more than ten years for this," she said as she held her right arm out stiffly and dropped her blouse on the floor. She was wearing a plum colored lace bra, deliciously presenting his favorite part of her anatomy.

"Didn't you want to go to dinner first?" he teased. She was shaking her head and pulling him toward her before he could get the words out.

"Whoa!" he said as he toppled onto the bed with her, rolling them both on their sides so he wouldn't crush her.

He kissed her deeply, in a way they hadn't experienced in quite a while, which left them both panting. Edward smoothed her hair back from her face and swooped in to suck her bottom lip into his mouth, then traced her lips gently with his tongue. Her lip-gloss was grape-flavored, and it made his stomach rumble. Bella giggled and nibbled the cleft of his chin, a move that always got him revved up.

"I love you so much," he said, "and our wedding was fantastic, but we never got a chance to really eat anything."

Bella caressed his face as she pouted. "Aww, baby, you're hungry?"

"Yes, and I'm not sure which I'm hungrier for—you or food."

"Tell you what. Let's take a shower, and I'll break out the care package Angela packed from the reception. We'll add the hotel's complimentary fruit and champagne and create our own little feast."

Edward didn't have to be told twice. They unpacked a few necessities, and Bella set the food on the table with the fruit and champagne chilling in the bucket. While she was setting things up in the bathroom, he popped a few hors d'oeuvres and a couple of grapes into his mouth to settle his grumbling stomach, and then put on a little mood music, before quickly joining his bride. Littering the bathroom floor with their clothes, they shed everything, kissing their way to the shower.

The bath in their grand suite contained a spacious walk-in marble shower with a showerhead similar to the one in the condo. Edward turned on the water and adjusted it to a comfortable temperature before they stepped in, still kissing. The surprising spray of the water effectively separated them and he looked at her, never ceasing to be amazed by how beautiful Bella's skin was. His too-pale skin against her perpetual-tan made for a sexy contrast.

He gazed at her hungrily, noting that her eyes were roving over him in a similarly greedy fashion. "You're beautiful, Mrs. Cullen."

Bella wound her arms around him, and he felt her nipples grazing his chest as he embraced her slippery body. "And you're breathtaking, Mr. Cullen."

Using the hotel's luxury bath products, they took turns cleaning and exploring each other's bodies, knowing they had all the time in the world.

Edward delighted in running his hands over her curves, the warm water serving as an excellent lubricant. Bella's hands were busy as well, exploring all his planes and swells. His length was stiff and ready, as it lay heavy against her wet stomach. She wriggled to get closer, and her movement had him hissing as the friction shot from his groin to his extremities. He palmed her breasts as she moaned and dragged her lips from his mouth to his chest, teasing one of his nipples with her tongue. Her touch had him literally teetering on the brink of sensory overload. They needed to get horizontal quickly, before he collapsed.

"Let's get out of here," he groaned, his voice ragged with desire. Grabbing a towel, he draped it around her and then took one for himself. When they were both dry, they dropped the towels and embraced before he danced them over to the bed, their lips and hips locked in step. Blindly, he shoved down the comforter and they dove into the fine linens. Edward was careful to shift the bulk of his weight onto his forearms and knees as he hovered over her, and as he took in her beauty, he was almost overcome with emotion.

Her forehead crinkled. "What's wrong?"

"You're my wife," he said as if convincing himself of it, "and I'm the luckiest man in the world."

She smiled, and he kissed her before she could reply, not holding anything back, and neither did she. Then he pulled back enough to take his time and revel in this, their first time together. He nipped her earlobe, and then strung kisses across her cheek, eventually going back to her delectable full lips.

She kissed him back deeply, hungrily, as she wrapped her arms possessively around his neck and he marveled at how well they molded together; their bodies seemed to be custom-made for one another.

He reveled in the sensations of her warm tongue and the pillow of her breasts as she rolled her hips beneath him, but no matter how much he wanted to take her in that instant, he knew he needed to keep himself in check if he was to prepare her for what was to come. Though her hymen had been broken due to her years of gymnastics, it would still be a painful experience.

His rational side conflicted with his desire, but he was determined to be gentle with her. He trailed his lips over her throat, murmuring disjointed endearments that he hoped declared feelings he couldn't articulate, and the feeling of the leap of her pulse under his lips aroused him like nothing he'd ever experienced before. As he paid attention to her neck, he drew little gasps from her as he eased himself carefully between her thighs. The evidence of how he was making her feel was on her face, making her even more beautiful, and his blood surged. Her skin was unbelievably soft, and he closed his eyes again as he explored her body.

"So beautiful," he said, his voice raw and uncontrolled as he traced the generous curve of her butt that had countless times made him so hard it hurt. This was the moment he'd been waiting for, and it was almost too much. _Damn, calm down Cullen, _he told himself asthey rocked slowly, groaning as they kissed and rolled, touching everywhere they could find.

Edward had to ease back, afraid he would come that second if they kept this up, and dipped his head, paying attention to first one breast, and then the other, kissing them softly and then blowing on the damp skin in his wake until she shivered. Finally he suckled her in earnest, pulling her deep into his mouth. Bella clutched his shoulders, the sounds she was making very close to driving him insane with need. He felt intensely masculine, the ripples of reaction from her under his mouth amazingly erotic. The waves of her first orgasm vibrated beneath his hands, and he almost lost it.

Somehow he found the strength of will to retreat enough to cool his revved-up libido, moving lower to concentrate on her, leaving him well out of the reach of her mouth and hands that were pushing him too quickly toward orgasm. He kissed and licked from the arch of her feet, up her legs, to the sensitive backs of her knees, to the quivering soft muscle of her narrow thighs. Finally, an exploratory stroke of his finger told him she was ready. Her moans had become increasingly vocal cries of pleasure, and he smiled as he took her in; her head was flung back, and her hair a dark stain of curls against the stark white sheets.

He moved up between her thighs, pressing his eager erection against her. As her moisture covered his tip, he stiffened, but Bella wrapped her legs around his hips and urged him forward. He watched her face as he entered her, until sensation took over and his eyes closed in reflex. _Holy..._ his eyes rolled back in their sockets. The feeling was so overwhelming he had to work to keep himself lucid. He desperately wanted to avoid hurting her, so he stopped. She winced, but pressed him to continue, squeezing him as tightly as she could in her arms. As he slid completely inside, she moaned.

"Nnnh..."

"I'm sorry, baby," he murmured, smoothing her hair back on her forehead where beads of sweat had popped up. She opened her eyes, and it almost killed him to see the pain reflected there, but she wouldn't let go as he tried to pull away.

"It's okay...it's okay, don't stop," she assured him and kissed him even though he could feel her quivering uncontrollably .

His throat grew tight, but he steeled himself to continue and not allow his emotions to get the better of him. "I love you," he said as he withdrew and sunk into her again, going as slowly as he could.

The first time wasn't usually the best experience for a woman, but he'd consoled himself that he'd make it up to her later as he fell into a gentle rhythm, the pain seeming to ease somewhat as she opened her tightly-closed eyes. He kissed her, never missing a beat, their hips falling into a gentle dance as he concentrated on every sensation, committing it all to memory.

Edward had held himself in check for too long, and all-too-quickly he felt the signs of his release. "Never…felt…anything…this…good," he groaned as Bella tightened her legs around his hips. Employing his "Taps" trick, he tried to hold out longer, but it only worked for a few seconds at most. The sensations were all too much. Afterward, he rolled off of her, and immediately used his hand to bring her to orgasm as she cried his name.

Through his orgasmic haze, it occurred to him that he'd never felt this amazing in his life. Sex had never even approached being this powerful with any other woman. He knew right away why it was. This woman held his heart, and quite possibly his very soul.

"That was awesome," Bella murmured against his shoulder, her breath tickling his skin. He smiled involuntarily, happy to have her approval.

He had a brief, horrified moment and leaned back slightly to look into her eyes. "Are you sure, you're okay? I know it hurt."

"I took a couple of ibuprofen before we took our shower. They should be kicking in any moment," she said and snuggled against his chest.

"Good," he said and kissed her temple. "And for the record, making love with you was beyond awesome, just as I knew it would be. Thank you for giving me a gift that I thought I would never be worthy of, and for helping me to see why waiting was the best thing we could ever have done."

With sex off the table, he'd been able to grow to love her without the complications that it brought to relationships, while he'd simultaneously grown to understand more fully the Biblical reasons for waiting. There was a sacredness in the joining of a husband and wife that did not contain the awkwardness, guilt, or predatory leanings that sexual promiscuity had held for him. Their vows had clarified it, and now he could see clearly enough to understand that what he'd just experienced with his wife was physical and spiritual perfection.

"We were both so worth the wait." She raised herself up, kissing him in a way that made him feel stirrings of need he knew she wasn't quite ready to accommodate again so soon.

"I love you, Mr. Cullen."

"I love you, too, Mrs. Cullen."

She smiled impishly at him. "Now, how soon can we do that again?"

It was almost as if she'd read his mind. "We need to give your body a little while to recover, sweetheart."

"We can do some… other things later after we've eaten, right?"

"What do you have in mind, Mrs. Cullen?"

"Surprise me, Mr. Cullen."

Edward laughed and gathered her close into his arms. "Oh, believe me, I will."

From every indication, it looked as if his bride would challenge him emotionally, spiritually, and sexually, and he wasn't complaining. She was his soul mate in every sense of the word.

The year had taught him that adversity and danger could always touch their lives because of his chosen profession, but together they would weather it all. He had learned to be honest with her and not allow his penchant toward overprotection to stifle their relationship. Storms would race in, but as long as he had breath in his body, he would always keep her safe in his arms. This woman had taught him the virtues that mirrored those in his Marine training. While he'd prepared for life with honor, courage, and commitment, he was now embracing a new life of trust, loyalty, and commitment.

**~THE END~**

**~888~**

**E/N: This is the end of TLC proper, folks. I hope that everything you expected to happen happened and you were happy, even for the things that happened that you didn't expect to happen. At any rate, review and let me know either way.**

**I'll be posting an Epilogue of the honeymoon on Seychelles and the results of the liver transplant. Also, three fabulous women purchased two additional future outtakes during FGB. Those will also be posted. Hope you enjoy what's going to happen for Copward and his Bella in the future. See you again soon.**

**Bev**

**xoxo**

**MELD – Model for End Stage Liver Disease - **a continuous disease severity scale based entirely on objective laboratory values. These scales have been found to be highly predictive of the risk of dying from liver disease for patients waiting on the transplant list. The MELD score incorporates bilirubin, prothrombin time (i.e., INR) and creatinine into an equation, producing a number that ranges from 1 to 40 or more.

**UNOS - United Network of Organ Sharing**. Patients are prioritized for transplant according to length of time on the waiting list and severity of illness criteria developed by UNOS.

**Ascites** - The accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity, causing abdominal swelling.

"**January Wedding"** by the Avett Brothers - http:/www dot youtube dot com/watch?v=Iq4DsqiW2DI

**The Doubletree Hotel, Tallahassee** - http:/doubletree dot hilton dot com/ en/dt/hotels/meeting_;jsessionid=VW4DYJJ3TD2N4CSGBJF3MQQ?ctyhocn=THLAPDT

**The Betsy Hotel** - http:/www dot thebetsyhotel dot com/the-betsy/history


	39. Ch 38 TLC: The Beginning Of Forever

**A/N: **It was very hard to contain my emotions as I completed making the corrections given by my final beta. Knowing that I would be able to mark the story complete after this chapter posts was humbling. I have gone over it several times and any mistakes missed are purely my fault.

I would like to thank everyone who's ever touched TLC in any way. Early on, I did not have a beta and had no idea what I was doing, but soon I was embraced by some wonderful women in the fandom who helped me to shape TLC into the story it has become. My heartfelt thanks to **SSHG316 and Irritable Grizzzly** for beta'ing this final chapter. They took 14K superfluous words and helped me to carve it into what you are reading here. I still have to work on my tendency to be too wordy, as evidenced by this A/N (ugh!).

TLC was never a story that was recommended by the big fandom blogs, big name authors, or bestowed any fandom awards, and for this reason, I am** even more proud of you, the readers **who have remained steadfast in sharing your love for it by word of mouth. I can't thank you enough for blessing me with the more than **twenty-two hundred reviews** this story has received at this writing. Thanks for each and every word of praise and criticism. Your words have made my words better.

See Comprehensive Thanks List Below.

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

_**Men always want to be a woman's first love; women have a more subtle instinct: what they like is to be a man's last romance.–Unknown **_

**TLC – Chapter 38 –The Beginning of Forever**

**The Seychellois Honeymoon**

The driver from the Constance Lemuria Hotel on Praslin Island was prompt. As they deplaned, Edward couldn't help but smirk proudly when he spied him holding a sign bearing the hotel's logo that read _Monsieur et Madame Edward Cullen_. Bella was able to practice her seldom-used French with the driver and asked him about some of the local attractions as they wended their way to the hotel.

Hearing her converse in French was sexy as hell and Edward employed his Taps trick as soon as he felt his libido responding. He considered her interest as polite conversation, because he had other plans for at least the next forty-eight hours. Now that he'd had the opportunity to make love to his wife properly on their wedding night he wanted more of her. The flights over had already taken up another day of their honeymoon.

They wouldn't be staying in the hotel proper, but in one of eight exclusive thatched-roof villas facing the Anse Kerlan beach because of the privacy it afforded. They were nestled in a natural garden, in a spacious one-bedroom bungalow with a separate lounge area, a dining pavilion, a massage pavilion with an open-air bath, and a private swimming pool with a Jacuzzi.

The Villa Master would be taking care of their needs during their stay. His name was Victor, and he greeted them and helped them acclimate to their surroundings, and then Edward arranged for food deliveries _only_ for the next couple of days.

Edward found Bella unpacking in the bedroom. "I was going to help you do that—later," he said, his eyes drinking her in, and then he wound his arms around her waist and kissed her. "Let's stay in for a couple of days. I'd like to experience more of the 'honey' in our honeymoon before I have to share you with anyone else."

With an impish grin, Bella began unbuckling his belt. "I like the sound of that. We'll have seven more days after that to be tourists and sightsee."

Within a minute, they were both undressed, and used the shower to begin their honeymoon with a "bang."

Edward was elated as he made love to his Bella in the shower. Bracing himself with one hand, he cupped her bottom with the other. Arms wound possessively around his shoulders and legs crossed loosely at the ankles behind him, she moved her hips in excruciating swivels that made him dizzy with sensation.

_Thank God for strong legs and abdominal muscles. _

This would be fast and that was okay, because they had nine days for their bodies to become even more intimately acquainted before they returned home.

"Bella..." he moaned as he gripped her hips and pressed forward into her, "God I love you..." He felt the build intensifying to a delicious burn, touching and filling what had been reserved only for him.

"Love you, too... baby," she said, her voice breathy with need. Then she found and sucked on the mole she'd discovered behind his ear just below his hairline that had become her favorite form of torture. He responded with a guttural groan as she dusted the skin of his shoulder with kisses, and then moved back up to his lips, sucking his tongue hard as the tremble of her release began.

Edward cupped her face and kissed her tenderly, leaving them joined until after the last tremor of his climax dissipated. As they broke the kiss, he lowered her feet to the tile, and they emerged grinning. Bella nuzzled his nose, and they touched foreheads.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it always going to be like this?"

"God, I hope so."

Clean at last, they slipped between the cool sheets of the king-sized bed in the master suite. Shared feather-light kisses and caresses lulled them to sleep.

Edward was awakened by a noise in the lounge area and slid on a pair of pajama pants to go out and investigate. Victor had left them a late lunch and he fixed plates for Bella and himself, and carried a tray into the bedroom. She was still sleeping, so he set the tray on the bedside table and slipped back into bed, awakening her with a shower of soft kisses. Smiling, she wriggled as close to him as she could, then frowned as she patted his pajama pants.

"I thought we were staying in bed without clothing for at least two days," she said with a pout.

He kissed her pout away. "I went out into the pavilion to get food. I didn't want to startle Victor," he explained. "You want more of this?" He held her close allowing her to feel the evidence of his renewed passion. "Or food?"

"Both," she said with a sexy smile, as she slid his pajama pants down.

~888~

Determined to prolong their lovemaking, Bella set a slow erotic rhythm as she took control midway through their second round. "Oh. My. God." she groaned as she swiveled herself onto her husband, causing such a glorious filling, words were difficult to articulate. Edward clasped her hips, helping her to keep pace, but then he reached up and cupped her breasts, and when his eyes locked on hers, it was if a haze cleared and all she could see was vibrant green. Bella felt shy for a moment, and closed her eyes against his intense gaze.

"Bella, look at me..."

When she opened up her eyes and saw his expression of sheer adoration, she became emboldened. He circled up with his hips as she swirled down with hers, and their eyes rolled in concert as the sensation changed. Bella splayed her hands over his where he palmed her breasts, laced her fingers through his, tipping her head back as they connected repeatedly. When they had perfected the pace and the intensity had spiraled as high as it could go, Edward levered himself upright, wound her legs around his waist so she straddled him, and pulled them together into a lotus position.

"I want to see your face... when you come for me, baby." He kissed her again, deeply, as he continued to stroke and she reciprocated.

Planting her hands on either side of his head, Bella feasted on his mouth. She loved the taste of him. It was so exquisite she would never tire of it. She wanted to patent the way their lips fit, and the glide of his tongue it was so good. She could spend hours, days, and weeks kissing him it was such a potent high.

He brushed his thumbs in a circular motion over her nipples making her breath quicken. She cried out in sheer pleasure as he drove her over the first precipice. _This._ The utter joy of what they experienced together, the love they made, the unity of them coming together would always delight her. Having him inside her, each thrust taking away the need that ravaged them, rushed through her like a tidal wave.

She smiled, gazing lovingly at his face, as she witnessed his excruciating desperation. The idea that she made him feel that way was overwhelming, and he was even more devastatingly handsome when he lost control.

Edward kissed her hard until his trembling abated. Still connected, they remained in an embrace under the canopy of the four-poster bed.

"It's like you read what I wrote in my journal when I was sixteen, everything is so perfect." She pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

"You deserve this because you're perfect for me." He returned her kiss.

As planned, they remained sequestered in the villa for two days, destroying the bed and emerging only when necessity required it. On the third day, they finally dressed to go sightseeing, giving their Villa Master the opportunity to have their room fully serviced.

**~888~**

On their first day out, they took a private two-hour car tour to get the lay of the tiny island. As Bella rested in the crook of Edward's arm, the tour guide droned on, "The island was named Praslin after the Duc de Praslin, the French Minister of Marine in 1768, when the original 'Stone of Possession' was erected on the island in what is still known as Anse Possession. As folklore would have it, Praslin's Côte d'Or was a favorite haunt of pirates prior to settlement of the islands by the French in the mid-eighteenth century."

In a surprisingly good impression, Edward whispered a Captain Jack Sparrow quote in her ear. "'You cannot let him near the chest, man, trust me on this. You can mistrust me less than you can mistrust him. Trust me.'"

Bella giggled. "All this talk of pirates makes me want to watch _Pirates of the Caribbean_ again."

"I'm sure we can make that happen tonight. I'll give Victor a call after lunch," he said, kissing her temple.

"You're probably the only guest on a first-name basis with the hotel staff."

"Not just any staff—Victor, the Villa Master," he teased.

She gestured to the tour guide. "Ooh, listen to this, baby."

"...Almost a century and a half later the visiting General Gordon of Khartoum fame became convinced that the Vallée de Mai was the original site of the Garden of Eden. The General developed this idea when he insisted the infamous coconut shaped like a female pelvis, was a representation of Eve. The legendary Coco-de-Mer is the world's heaviest nut and grows high on ancient palms in the primeval forest. These coconuts only grow on the ancient giant palm trees in The Vallée de Mai nature park, and are used locally as an aphrodisiac drink..."

Bella lowered her voice. "Let's do a role-play tonight. I'll be Eve to your Adam—we can partake of forbidden fruit..."

Edward's eyes lit up, and he raised his voice. "Uh, driver, back to the Lemuria after this..."

"Oui, Monsieur, " the driver responded.

Bella rolled her eyes. "The Black Pearl Ltd. at Amitié, Monsieur," she corrected.

"Oui…Madame," the driver replied, as he shot a hesitant look through the rearview mirror.

Edward rescued the poor man. "She's the boss," he said with a shrug. Then he turned his attention back to Bella. "Are we going on Captain Jack's ship instead?"

"No, we're surrounded by the Indian Ocean, baby, not the Caribbean Sea."

"I didn't pay close attention in Geography," he said as he nuzzled her. "Then where are we going after this?"

"To a jewelry shop. I want to bring something back for Esme and 'our' mothers. A little thanks for all they did to make our wedding so special."

"That's great. I'm sure they'll love whatever you get. Maybe we should bring something back for your dad and Uncle Carlisle."

"Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"He's already getting part of my liver. What more could he want?" Bella looked aghast, but then realized he was kidding as he grinned mischievously.

"You're right," she said. "That is a big gift, but you already used that excuse at Christmas."

"That was his idea, and honestly, I wouldn't know what to get him."

"It could be as simple as a goofy souvenir. It's just the thought."

He tipped her chin up and gave her a soft kiss. "You're right, as usual, my love."

Bella's stomach tightened so pleasurably from that simple kiss, she made a hasty change of subject and the trajectory of her thoughts. "Okay, let's listen up—we've missed at least five good minutes of riveting information from our excellent tour guide."

On Saturday, they decided to take it easy and make a lazy day of it at the Villa. Victor was only too happy to schedule food deliveries, a couples massage, and a manicure and pedicure for Bella. She tried to talk Edward into joining her at least for the pedicure, but he politely declined and opted to spend that time in the pool. The manicurist, a local Seychellois girl, swore softly in French when Edward emerged, looking like a mythical god. "Mon Dieu."

"Il me fait la même chose, moi aussi," Bella replied, "fréquemment." While she didn't feel jealous or threatened by the girl, Bella subtly let her know that she understood what she was saying.

The girl apologized profusely. "Je suis vraiment désolé, Madame Cullen."

"It's okay," Bella said. "Many women find my husband attractive..."

"But, that was very unprofessional of me. Please don't tell Victor," she pleaded. "I could be fired."

Edward grabbed his wallet off the chaise and approached her with a tip. "No, Monsieur...that is not necessary..." She kept her eyes down, as if she was afraid to look now that he was right in front of her.

However, Edward insisted, and Bella nodded when the girl looked to her for guidance. She took to the offered bill and quickly retreated.

Bella did her demonstration of "spirit fingers" from the movie _Bring It On_ to alert him that her nails were still wet so Edward would be careful when he embraced her. "That's a first," he said. "A service person unwilling to take a tip."

"It was her penance for ogling my husband."

Edward's brow furrowed and his mouth fell open. "What?"

"You had the poor girl swearing like a pirate," she teased.

"I'm sure she's a nice Seychellois girl and everything, but I don't see anybody but you, Mrs. Cullen."

"Good answer, Mr. Cullen," she said and kissed him thoroughly.

**~888~**

Their honeymoon on Praslin had been like existing in a contemporary Garden of Eden. The tropical warmth enveloped Bella like a blanket as she stepped out into the lush green foliage surrounding their villa on their final afternoon there. The pool area, secluded by the natural rock formations and landscaping, gave the villa a grotto feel, especially at night when they were sans swimsuits.

Today Edward had brought his iPod outside as he swam, and his smooth, rhythmic strokes resembled synchronized swimming. For a few moments she stood and admired his muscles rippling as he cut masterfully though the bold blue water.

She would never tire of admiring his body or wanting him, if their activities over the last eight days was anything to go by. There was no comparison she could make, but she believed her husband to be uniquely skilled in the art of lovemaking. Never had she been more thankful for having kept in shape. If she had stopped exercising when her gymnastics career ended, she would be in so much trouble right now. As it stood, she'd been able to keep up with him because they had taken full advantage of the exercise facilities at the condo and resumed running when she'd recovered.

Depositing her towel, sunscreen and shades on a chaise, she slipped off her flip-flops, took position on the edge, and dove in to join him. When she surfaced, he was treading water and watching her with an expression that spoke of future pleasures. She swam over to him and gave him a kiss that promised she would be ready and willing. He held her with his left arm, as he supported them on the side of the pool with his other.

"How long have you been in?" she asked. "When I woke up to your note, I couldn't believe I'd napped so long."

"Only about fifteen minutes. Biking around the Vallée de Mai in this heat takes a lot out of you. I'm glad we rested so we can go out tonight."

"Great plan. I can't believe we have only one more day here."

"I know. Did you want to stay a few more days? I'm sure the Lemuria would love it if we did." She knew he could only make this offer because of his trust fund. It had taken a while, but she'd learned to be thankful for it, and his refusal to sign a pre-nup was a testimony to his unconditional love and trust in her.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure they would. It's been wonderful, but I think I'm ready to go home and be Mrs. Edward Cullen in Tallahassee."

He smiled and kissed her. "I like the sound of that."

"In that case, let's enjoy the pool one final time."

She kissed him and pushed off the side, cutting cleanly into the water; Edward followed, pacing her. They hit the wall together, rolled into a turn, and pushed off again, completing several leisurely laps together. Bella lost herself in the rhythm, in the pleasure of doing something so enjoyable with Edward. They took turns skimming underwater intermittently as they did their laps, until their muscles were completely loose, then they floated to the edge to climb out.

Slipping into the warmer water of the outdoor Jacuzzi, Bella didn't think either of them intended to do anything other than relax there for a few minutes before showering and getting ready for dinner. Instead, the simple act of shedding her bikini top for a more even tan was the catalyst for what actually transpired. Edward reached for her and they embraced chest to chest.

"This is my Coco-de-Mer," he said as he palmed her hips, referring to the coconut the tour guide had talked about earlier.

"I don't know if I agree with the general's theory," Bella said as she encircled him through his swim trunks. "Where is the male counterpart? There couldn't have been an Eve without an Adam." He began to grow in her hand almost immediately, and she smirked.

"Not sure what represented Eve's Adam in the local folklore, but I've got your Adam right here." He pulled her close and ran his hands over her breasts, making her heart stutter. "The milk of that coconut may be an aphrodisiac," he said, "but, I don't think we need any."

"No, we don't," she agreed.

She grasped and dug her fingers into his shoulders as his mouth descended onto her breast. Her head fell back, and her eyes closed as she gasped in shock and pleasure. Despite the warmth of the water, she trembled from his assault to her senses.

"Yes," she said as the water roared and pounded, in sync with the pounding of her blood. Bella wondered how anyone could live without wanting and being wanted like this. He hoisted her up onto one of the steps leading from the tub, and she gripped the edge.

Her moans echoed in the humid air as his mouth traveled down her torso to her stomach, where he made love to her belly button. From there he traversed her thighs, his tongue forging a hot streak until it plunged inside her. "Oh, yes," she moaned again. Shifting her so the gush of the jets pulsed over her as his tongue continued working her toward a frenzy, Bella grew limp with sensation.

"I can't...I can't even... Oh my God!"

His mouth traversed along each leg and finally to her feet where he sucked, one by one, her newly-pedicured toes into his mouth. _Damn! _As the heat of his lips and tongue trailed back up, and he clamped upon her sex, she couldn't control herself. "Oh, shit!"

Edward chuckled, but didn't stop, and the vibrations from his mouth toppled her tenuous control.

This orgasm illuminated the thin line between sanity and insanity. He didn't let go and just let her savor the experience, his fingers replacing his tongue as he looked lovingly into her eyes, witnessing her complete surrender to him.

As he once again entered her, Bella couldn't resist saying his name, it was so good. "Ah...Edward..."

She wanted to whip him into the same frenzy. "Right there...Oh...that...Bell...ah..."

Bella had not thought what they had experienced for the last several days could get any better. Boy, was she wrong. They must have been hitting a sweet spot, because something truly magical happened. As he surrendered to his release, she climaxed again, and then there was nothing else, save the nirvana of their shared orgasm.

For a few minutes, it was completely quiet, until Edward spoke. "My foul cop's mouth is rubbing off on you, preacher's daughter," he teased, as he lazily ran his hands from her waist, to just below her breast. The water made his soft touch even softer.

Bella blushed. "I just couldn't control myself. Baby, what you do to me...there are no words."

"Same here, baby. Same here."

Later, they drove to the Hotel Le Duc de Praslin and had dinner at Le Dauphin, an amazing open-air restaurant. The poolside seating provided an excellent setting for a romantic candlelit dinner. They had the fish Carpaccio, seafood gratin, and a delicious curry with cinnamon and coconut milk.

After dinner, they went to the Casino de Îles on Côte d'Or to enjoy an evening of gaming. After they cashed out, they decided to go to the bar area for a nightcap where they were surprised to find a cozy little dance floor.

He extended a hand, and Bella took it and followed him to the floor. They moved slowly and sensually to the music around the tiny space. She rested her head on his shoulder as they settled into the second song, an Adele ballad.

Bella remembered their wedding day as he whirled her around. They danced to a few more tunes, before agreeing to call it a night.

Back at the villa, they made love again, slowly, in the lounge pavilion on the wide plush swing that doubled as a hammock, enveloped by the muted light of about thirty candles strategically placed around the pavilion. Edward must have alerted Victor prior to their return, because everything was perfect, right down to the champagne chilling in a bucket of ice and the fresh strawberries, the tips dusted alternately with powdered sugar and chocolate.

It was a bittersweet goodbye to Praslin. The next morning, they would fly back to Mahé, the largest island, to catch their flight back to Miami. They entered a waiting bubble bath in the open-air tub, and Bella leaned back into him as he lazily washed her.

She kissed the top of his hand wielding the sponge. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"You're welcome, but I should be thanking you for making this the best honeymoon ever."

She laughed. "You say that as if you have something to compare it to."

"I don't, but nothing else could possibly top it."

Bella thought for a moment. "You're right, this has been spectacular..."

"But you're still ready to go home, huh?"

"Yeah, I can't describe it. I'm just anxious for us to begin our normal lives." She leaned back and turned to look into his eyes. "Is that weird?"

"No, it's not." He kissed her tenderly. "To be honest, in the back of my mind, I've been worried that my dad would get worse while we were gone. I just want to get the operation over with. I'm ready to go home, too."

She wasn't anxious to have him undergo surgery, but she could agree with his final sentiment. _Home._ Bella loved the sound of that.

**~888~**

**Home Again**

They retrieved Edward's beloved Volvo that Emmett and Rosalie had left in the lot at the airport once they'd cleaned off all the "Just Married," decorations. It had been convenient to claim their baggage and head home without needing anyone to pick them up, or having to wait for a ride. When Edward carried her over the threshold of the condo and flicked on the lights, people jumped out of every conceivable nook and cranny in their living room and yelled "Surprise!"

Bella tried not to look disappointed. She put on a smile and greeted their close friends and family.

Renee wasn't fooled. "I hope this is okay, baby," she whispered when she finally got her chance to greet her daughter. "Alice and Rosalie insisted."

When Bella saw Edward avoiding the throng, making a beeline for his parents, she was more than okay with it.

"It's fine, Mom, really," she whispered back. "Edward was worried about his dad, so it's good he got to see him right away."

Over her mother's shoulder, she spied her dad patiently waiting his turn to talk to her, and she realized how much she'd missed her parents.

"Daddy!" she said, in much the same way she had when she was a little girl, and he swooped her up into his arms. "I missed you."

"Hey, baby girl," he said against her ear. When he released her, he was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Wow, you got a tan. Looks like Edward did, too."

She grinned. "It's not as if I needed one, right? But his skin matches mine a little more now that he's been kissed by the sun."

As she talked to her parents, Bella kept watching Edward as he talked to his mom and dad with a huge smile on his face. Just a short time ago, she hadn't thought the scene before her would ever be possible. God was truly good.

After Bella and Edward doled out gifts and souvenirs to all their friends and family, his parents were the first to leave, followed closely by Carlisle, Esme, and Bella's parents. Their friends stayed a while longer. James and Maria were so cute together and were the first to suggest they dance now that the parents were gone.

Edward's cell phone buzzed, and he pulled it out, indicating it was Reisa, and asking Bella silently if he should take it. She nodded and he took it on the balcony. Bella refreshed her drink and watched the other couples dance until the song ended, and Maria and James joined her near the bar.

"You really do have a glow, _namorada_." Maria said, and James agreed.

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

"May I use your facilities?" Maria asked shyly.

"Sure, first door on your right down the hall."

After Maria left there was an awkward moment between her and James until he finally said, "I never thought I'd be able to say this, Bella, but I truly believe God spoke to you. You and Edward are blessed to be so well-suited, and I wish you two the very best life has to offer."

"Thanks, and I pray that what you and Maria have will grow to be everything you both desire."

"She's amazing," he said, his blue eyes shining with affection.

Bella smiled. "I told you, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did, and I'll be forever grateful to you for pointing me in her direction."

Edward came back in and took Bella's hand.

"Hall," he said.

"Cullen," James shot back.

"Don't tell me you're regressing," Bella said.

They laughed and shook hands, even employing the bro shoulder bump thing. Bella grinned. "That's more like it."

Then James held out his arms and Bella came in to give him a hug. "You be good to my girl, Maria, or I'm going to hunt you down with my husband's Glock."

Edward did a double-take, and pulled her into his side.

Emmett overheard and yelled, "Whoa! Bella Swan Cullen's packing." Rosalie promptly grabbed and squeezed his cheeks, making his lips purse like a fish. "Shh...baby. Use your inside voice," she encouraged, even more loudly than Emmett.

James rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"You're a music minister so you feel you can't retaliate, but I have no such problem," Edward said, and flipped Emmett off. "That's for James, you moron."

Emmett rushed him, and Edward took off toward the back of the house, Emmett following. Bella smiled and shook her head as Maria rejoined them.

"Bella, I love your place," she said. "It has everything you could ever dream of needing in a first home."

"Thank you. It's kinda perfect for our needs right now."

Maria and James exchanged a look. "I think we're going to head out, now. Say our goodbyes to Edward. I hope he's not taking too much of a beating on my account from the big guy."

"Don't worry, they do this all the time. I don't think Emmett would hurt him."

She hugged Maria and then said, "Goodnight you guys. Drive safe," as they waved and walked hand-in-hand toward the elevator.

Bella joined Rosalie on the stuffed chair across from Alice and Jasper, who were happily ensconced on the love seat. Ben and Angela had gone out onto the balcony.

Rosalie sighed and leaned her head on Bella's shoulder.

"I really missed you," she said with a sappy grin on her face.

Bella returned her smile. "I missed you, too, Rose."

Looking over at Jasper, rubbing his wife's tummy, Bella asked. "Is the baby kicking...?"

"Yeah," Jasper said proudly. His smile could have lit up the room.

Alice stood. "Come on, honey," she said. "Let's help get this place cleaned up so Bella and Edward can get some rest. We've imposed on them long enough."

"Hey, you guys don't have to. We can do that in the morning," Bella protested, standing as well. It was then she got a good look at Alice. She also rubbed Alice's belly, as Jasper sauntered off into the kitchen.

"I think baby Whitlock has grown since we've been gone," she said, a look of awe on her face.

"You really think so?" Alice asked with a frown. "I worry that my poor baby will weigh less than five pounds when he's born."

"He?"

"Oh yeah, we caved at the last ultrasound and allowed her to tell us the sex."

Edward came up, wound his arms around Bella, and scolded his cousin. "Alice, don't be talking to my wife about sex."

Bella giggled. "Baby, she wasn't—"

"Don't tell him anything, Bella. He'll be the last one to know the gender of our baby."

"Oh, you meant _that_ sex. So, am I having, a niece or nephew?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Jasper, am I having a niece or nephew?" Edward asked.

"Don't—"Alice warned.

"Nephew," Jasper said proudly before Alice could get the words out.

Alice pummeled Edward on his shoulder with her tiny fist and flitted off into the kitchen to join her husband. With everyone pitching in, the condo was back in order in no time.

By the time they slipped into bed, Bella felt as if she'd run a marathon. Edward silently pulled her into his arms, and they lay there a few moments, each reveling in the fact that they were finally in their own home.

Yawning, Bella broke the silence. "That was so nice of them, even though I was looking forward to a peaceful evening."

Edward regarded her lovingly.

"What?" Bella asked.

"We're not quite done, yet."

"What do you mean?"

He smiled. "We have to christen our marriage bed, and then we'll be done."

Suddenly, Bella wasn't tired anymore. She kissed her husband like she meant it and he kissed her back in the very same way.

**~888~**

A feeling of déjà vu descended on the blended Cullen and Swan families and their friends as they gathered at TMH again. This time, Edward Jr. and Sr. were behind the doors of the operating room, and Bella and Elizabeth sat holding hands in the waiting room. All the praying and nervous small-talk had been exhausted, and now everyone was doing what the room was designated for.

Carlisle was the only notable absence, because he was in the room with his brother and his nephew, doing what he did best. It was thirty minutes past the time they'd expected the surgery to be over, and Bella was concerned but determined not to clue anyone in. She launched into a silent prayer and was about to say her amen when the door swung open. She and Elizabeth sucked in a breath simultaneously, and when Carlisle and Dr. Waldenberg strode into the room smiling, they exhaled in relief.

"They came through fine," Carlisle said to the room at large.

Dr. Waldenberg approached Bella and Elizabeth and talked quietly to them. "Ted experienced a bit of hemorrhaging due to the weakened condition of his blood vessels, but we were able to get it under control fairly quickly. Edward's response was one for the textbooks. He should be good as new in six to eight weeks. Ted's recovery will take a while longer, but within a year, he should be returning to a normal life. They're in the recovery room, and the nurses will let you both come back to see them when they regain consciousness."

Elizabeth threw her arms around Bella, and they thanked God for the outcome as Dr. Waldenberg retreated into the OR Suites. Carlisle hung around and answered a few more questions before he had to go back to work.

**~888~**

As Bella expected from watching her mom nurse her dad back to health throughout the years, Edward was a difficult and horribly non-compliant patient, especially as his healing progressed. She was afraid to leave him to his own devices because he was trying to get up and do things way before they were advisable. Most notably, he wanted to make love three days after he was released from the hospital, and only when Bella freaked out and threatened to call Carlisle did he disabuse himself of that notion.

At two weeks after the surgery, they participated in Angela and Ben's wedding. Ange was a radiant bride, whose only complaint was having to wear satin ballet flats so she wouldn't tower over her husband on their special day. Her family and friends from Malta were all in Tallahassee for the occasion, and Bella finally got a chance to meet her extended family. They were thrilled that Angela had the wedding in the States, because afterward most of them were making a holiday of it and going to Orlando to see the famous mouse.

Jackson Carlisle Whitlock made his entrance into the world on February 28th, weighing in at 6 lbs., 12 oz. and a startling length of twenty-three inches. Clearly he was going to be as tall and lanky as his father. Afraid that Edward wouldn't be able to withstand the long hours of waiting while Alice was in labor, Bella had driven them to the hospital the morning after Jackson was born. Alice and Jasper surprised them and asked them to be godparents, and it practically floored Edward.

Alice was matter-of-fact. "Think about it, cuz. Jasper's family is way over in Texas. It has to be you and Bella."

Edward swallowed a visible lump in his throat and looked to Bella for confirmation. She smiled and nodded vigorously. "Then I guess you've got yourselves a couple of godparents."

"Here you go, godfather," Alice said, handing her baby to him. "No time like the present to get in a little practice."

Edward ran his hand through his hair. "You might want Bella to hold him. I'm probably no good at that."

"Aw, come on," Alice coaxed. "You've been a Marine and a cop, and you're afraid of a tiny baby?"

"If I was able to do it the moment he came out all wet and wiggly, surely you can hold him in a blanket," Jasper chimed in.

Bella placed her hand in the small of his back and gave him a little nudge forward, and he finally reached out and took little Jackson into his arms. The baby squirmed and fussed a little bit, and Edward immediately turned to Bella.

"What am I doing wrong, baby?"

Bella grinned and placed his hands just so. "Keep him closely cradled and support his head. Newborns like being swaddled, because it reminds them of being in the womb."

They all looked at Bella like she'd grown two heads. "Oh, I read that somewhere when I was training to be a babysitter. I wanted to take care of my Aunt Lonette's twins so badly, and she only agreed to let me if I'd complete the training."

Edward resumed gazing at his nephew, while Jasper joined his wife on her bed for a little Mom and Dad snuggle time. Bella watched as Edward got comfortable with Jackson. He looked adorable, and she couldn't help but think about the future when they would be taking this step.

He looked at her again, his smile so breathtaking she could almost feel her ovaries melting. She wound an arm around his back and joined him as they both gazed lovingly into baby Jackson's beautiful face.

Emmett and Rosalie visited with them about a week later. Something had been amiss with Rosalie, but in true Rosalie Hale McCarty fashion, she wasn't forthcoming with her feelings. They hung out on a Friday night on the balcony of the condo, and Bella finally got to the bottom of what was bothering her.

Emmett and Edward had gone to replenish the beer, and she and Rosalie were left alone. She noted that Rosalie had already had one drink, as she downed a second and stood. "I'm getting a refill. You want anything while I'm up?"

Bella brandished her wine glass. "I'm good, but I'll come with."

She followed Rosalie inside and sat on a barstool, watching her fill her glass with about an ounce of cranberry juice and several ounces of vodka. "Whoa, Rose, that's quite a drink there."

Rosalie was insolent. "And?"

"Don't you think you ought to slow down a little?"

"Last time I checked, Marguerite Hale lived in Daytona Beach, and I don't need a surrogate in Tallahassee."

Bella smarted, but persisted. "I'm not trying to be your mother, Rosalie, but I care about you and don't want to see you self-destructing. You've been drinking excessively and short-tempered for weeks. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong that a little vodka won't cure. Cheers," she said, and took a gulp of her drink, then wiped her mouth rather inelegantly with the back of her hand.

"If nothing's wrong, then why haven't you gone to visit Alice since she's had the baby?"

Rosalie closed her eyes briefly, took a deep breath and then said, "We couldn't get to the hospital..."

"You want to try that excuse on someone else?" Bella joined her on the other side of the bar. "Talk to me."

Rosalie turned agitatedly and dashed her drink into the sink, then plunked the glass on the countertop with such force it shattered. "Happy now?" Rosalie's eyes misted and she moved to walk away. Bella grabbed her by the arm, and that's when she saw the blood dripping from Rosalie's hand, but she still struggled to wrench away.

"Rose..."

"I don't know what's wrong with you and Emmett. I'm fucking fine—"

"Rose! Stop squirming. You're bleeding."

Rosalie looked down at her hand and lost it. She clutched Bella and bawled uncontrollably. Bella held onto her and gently maneuvered her to sink, where she ran cold water over her fingers.

When Rose had calmed considerably, Bella took her into the bathroom and examined her hand more closely, making sure there weren't any glass shards in the wound, and then bandaged her finger. They sat together on the bed in the guestroom and Rosalie poured her heart out.

"I'm not jealous of Alice, but as her pregnancy progressed, I began to resent that I couldn't have children after what happened to me. I went to a couple of specialists, and they confirmed my previous diagnosis. There is a remote chance that a surgical procedure might repair me enough so I can carry to term, but it's only 50-50."

Bella steeled herself not to cry. Cupping Rosalie's cheek, she looked into her eyes. "The Rosalie I know would scoff at those odds. She would fight until there was no other alternative, not drown her misery in drink. And don't tell me she's not still in there somewhere."

Rosalie broke down, and Bella just held her. The guys returned and found them embracing on the bed. Bella realized that any other time, Emmett might have had a field day with the position he found them in, but this time he instinctively knew that it wasn't a time for crass jokes. He simply relieved Bella and took his wife into his arms. Bella went to Edward, and they quietly closed the door on them.

Finally, it was six weeks post-surgery, and they were headed out to visit Edward's parents. Elizabeth had called and asked Bella if they could come out, because they had some news to share. Bella didn't want Edward to be blindsided, so she decided to let him in on her thoughts as to what the news could be.

"Honey, I know we had this conversation in December, and I promise you, I'm not trying to beat you over the head with it, but I think your parents are about to tell us they're going to be re-married."

Originally, Edward had been looking at her attentively, but then turned to look forward. He didn't seem to be upset, but more introspective.

A minute or so later, he cleared his throat and turned to her again, looking like a little boy about to ask for something for Christmas that he wasn't at all sure he was going to get. "You really think so?"

"I do." Bella reached over and placed a hand on his thigh, rubbing him in a calming manner. "Are you going to be all right with this?"

"I guess I'll have to be. Mom is a strong woman, but I don't think she could handle it if things went downhill between them again. He'll have to reassure me that he's going to be good to her."

When Elizabeth greeted them at the door, Bella was shocked. Never had she seen her mother-in-law looking more beautiful. She had her hair down, and wore a pale pink sweater set and a pair of green Capri's. The black pearl earrings they had brought her back from the Seychelles, which had a decidedly green hue, were in her ears.

"Come in children," she said. "Ted will be out in a minute. He's still moving rather slowly."

"Should I go back and help him?" Edward asked as his mother headed toward the kitchen.

"No, have a seat," she said with a wink. "I'm going to bring out some tea and scones for my favorite daughter-in-law."

Bella smiled her thanks as they sat on the settee together. She couldn't resist teasing her husband when Elizabeth was out of earshot, "The infirmed helping the infirmed? Now that's rich."

"You weren't saying that last night, baby," he teased back. "I seem to recall you referring to me as your Lord and Master at one point."

Bella's face grew warm, and she remembered that she had been wholly incoherent a time or two from their activities. Her fading tan from their honeymoon allowed a hint of a blush to peek through on her skin.

Edward chuckled. "Yeah, you're as speechless now as you were last night."

Just then Ted walked gingerly around the corner. Edward looked up and then stood.

"Good morning," Ted said happily. Bella hadn't noticed before, but there was a timbre in his voice that was similar to Edward's.

"Need any help old man?" Edward asked, and moved to take his father's elbow.

Ted protested. "I might be slow, but I'm steady as she goes." Edward helped him to his chair anyway, and then rejoined Bella on the settee.

"You two are the absolute picture of marital bliss."

"Thanks," Edward and Bella said in unison.

"How are you feeling? Your skin seems to be clearing up and your hair looks much healthier," Edward commented.

"I'm feeling about seventy, seventy-five percent right now. I can't thank you enough for your precious gift, son."

"It was the least I could do for the man who made me."

"I know that decision didn't come easy, to save the father who abandoned you. Believe me when I say you are the best man I have ever had the privilege of knowing, son."

Edward was so uncomfortable with the heartfelt words. His voice was shaky with emotion as he said, "Enough with the thanks, Dad. God deserves all the glory. His change in me is the only reason I was able to do what I did for you."

Bella got a lump in her throat the size of Tallahassee, she was so proud of her husband. She took his hand and kissed his knuckles.

Elizabeth re-entered the room with a tray. Bella helped her serve everyone and took a seat.

"I guess you're wondering what our news is," Ted began. "But before we share it, I want to explain why we waited until now to tell you. Edward, Dr. Waldenberg and Carlisle both knew how weak I was going into the surgery. I had known since your wedding, and I didn't say anything because I didn't want you kids canceling your plans on my account. I wouldn't let them move the surgery date up. They wanted to do it the day after you came back from your honeymoon, and I knew that was too soon.

"While you two were away, your mother and I discussed all the ramifications of the operation and we also talked about what would happen if I didn't make it to the day of surgery—or died during surgery. I wanted to do right and make the decisions necessary for you and your mother to handle my estate should anything happen to me. A simple power of attorney and a good will would have done the trick, but I wanted to be tied to your mother in every way humanly possible, even if I didn't make it."

Ted paused and smiled at Elizabeth. "During the month your mother and I were in Indiana together, something unexpected happened. We remembered how much we liked each other's company, and then as time progressed and I came back here with her to Tallahassee, we remembered how much we loved one another before I foolishly ruined it —"

"Oh for heaven's sake, Teddy, you're taking forever," Elizabeth interrupted, her eyes shining with love and excitement. "What your father is trying to say in too many words, like he usually does, is we got married on January 7th."

Edward's jaw went slack and Bella's eyes bulged. They'd been expecting an engagement announcement, not a wedding announcement.

Elizabeth continued. "Esme and Carlisle stood up for us, and your parents, Bella dear, were marvelous. Rev. Swan performed the ceremony, Esme played the piano, and Renee sang the most beautiful song. It was just the six of us, and we swore them to secrecy until after the surgery and Ted was well on his way to recovery."

Ted chimed in. "We thought it was about time we let you two know before we announce it to the world. So, what do you kids think?"

Grinning from ear-to-ear, Bella recovered first. "I think it's wonderful!" She went over and hugged Elizabeth.

Edward seemed to be frozen in place, and Elizabeth looked at him expectantly as Bella moved on to congratulate Ted.

"Edward?" Elizabeth said, almost pleading.

Finally, he went to his mother and hugged her as Bella and Ted looked on anxiously.

"Congratulations, Mom," he said with a forced smile. "I hope he makes you happy this time."

Edward then walked over to his father, and Bella went over to Elizabeth and held her hand. Still standing, Ted looked steadily into his son's eyes. Edward didn't smile at all for his father's benefit.

"For whatever reason, my mother has chosen to give you another chance. If you hurt her again..." He let the threat hang heavy in the air.

Ted lips quivered, and his voice was husky when he replied. "Your reaction is nothing more than I deserve, son. But as God is my judge, I would hurt myself before I hurt your mother that way _ever_ again."

Seemingly satisfied with his father's answer, Edward finally extended his hand to him for a shake. Ted took his hand and shook it, but then pulled his son in for a hug, while Bella and Elizabeth looked on happily.

**~888~**

Prior to the surgery, Bella couldn't envision the day coming when they would both be going back to work, but it had finally arrived. Edward was released by Dr. Waldenberg, so now they could both go back to work without fearing he would do anything he shouldn't.

Maria and Sean had worked in concert to keep things flowing smoothly under her dad's direction. They had even screened some new volunteers to take up the slack of all the manpower they'd lost. Bella would be resuming the mantle of her brainchild, and then she would return to FSU in the summer to finish up her graduate degree. Life for the newest Cullen couple was coming back into focus.

She had made a healthy breakfast and was waiting for Edward to join her. In the mean time, her first cup of coffee had sufficiently revived her so she could go out and face the day. When she saw him emerge from the hallway in full uniform, her heart leapt into her throat. They had come full circle. The first time she met him he had presented himself on the threshold of her office dressed precisely as he was now.

When he made it to the table, he pulled a chair out for her, but she ignored it and pounced on him, kissing him like they'd been separated for months. Some of the items in his service belt gouged her mercilessly, but she didn't care.

"Wow, I don't know what I did to deserve that, but I'm going to figure it out and spend the rest of my life making sure I do it over and over again," he said when they came up for air.

"You do that, Officer Cullen," she said, as she took her seat.

She had done exactly what she'd wanted to do that first time they'd met when he was the hot new liaison from TPD, and she was the virtuous Center Director. Now he was hers forever, and she liked it like that.

FINIS.

**~888~**

**E/N**: Finally (I hesitate to do this because I know I'm gonna miss someone, but here goes) I'd also like to thank **Project Team Beta** for taking TLC on around chapter six and helping me until I got a team of personal betas. Thanks to **littlesecret84 and EZRocksAngel **who gave me a one-off and beta'd a couple of chapters before PTB took me on. Thanks to **Charmie77,** **acireamos and SSHG316 **who were my first regular betas around chapter 7 and are some of my best friends in the fandom. Thanks to **Jennday** for guest-beta'ing a time or two and recommending TLC on Dancing With Jen & Tor way back when. Thanks to **SavageWoma**n for coming on my beta team around chapter 17. She helped me through one helluva writer's block and became my writing partner & friend in the process. Thanks to **IrritableGrizzzly** who came onto the beta team around chapter 24, and her twitchy red pen became a good friend. Thanks to **Nicnicd** for beta'ing the final marathon of chapters to complete TLC. Thanks to **EdwardBabyMomma (EBM07 on Twitter) and the marvelous team of Arfalcon and Nanette, **who bought future takes of TLC for FGB. These will be coming soon. Also, these women have been faithful readers and reviews of TLC for as long as I can remember. Thanks to all the **authors** who recommended TLC in their A/N's, those I was aware of an unaware of. And once again, thanks to my readers & reviewers, because there are too many of you to name! However, I want to especially thank **Songster 51**, **EBM07**, **sunfire04, ChefJayla, Swimom07, javamomma0921, sparklybabs** and **Funmbie, Rochelle_Allison (roglows), RebelMissAlex,TheWonderWoman (Shell29Bells), RadioFreeAmy, IWant2Sparkle, Sleepyval, GiselleLX, Twitina & Debbie Valente, **who are readers and dear, dear friends.

Thanks to all my banner makers: **Shug, Readergoof, & Angstgoddess003**

Thanks to my research experts: **Becca, Deb, Erin, Betsy, Rob**in and others. Special thanks to my Fictionista People. You know who you are!

I know I have forgotten someone, and if I have, please know that it was not intentional. Love you all!

**Honeymoon E & B in Praslin, Seychelles ****.travel/en/about_seychelles/inner_**

**.**

**.com/**

**FrenchTranslations: **_**Monsieur et Madame - Mr. and Mrs.**_

**"Perfect for Me" by Ron Pope: http : /youtu dot be/xEes9dKyjfA **

**"Il me fait ****la même chose****, moi aussi," Bella replied, "fréquemment."-** **"He does that to me, too," Bella replied, "frequently." **

**"Je suis vraiment désolé, Madame Cullen." -** **"I am very sorry, Mrs. Cullen."**

**Portuguese Translation:**

_**Namorada**_** – Sweetheart.**

**.**** Seychelles Black Pearls (Jewelry)**


	40. Ch 39 TLC: Outtake Chapter 1

**A/N: **My heartfelt thanks to **SSHG316 **for beta'ing this in the midst of judging for two contests (mine included), and family obligations.

Finally, I'm able to make good on my FGB pledge to EBM07, Arfalcon & Nanette! Hope you enjoy these three outtakes, ladies.

On a personal front, I am finishing up two novels which I hope to publish this year. If you are interested in following me as I transition from fanfic to original fiction, please visit me at my website and subscribe: www(dot)BevElliott(dot) com. I'll be blogging from there until the stories hit the presses and would love for you to take this journey with me.

Please know that I will give you (my first readers) opportunities to get the stories free as much as I can since you've been with me from the beginning. I just hope you will pay it forward by telling others about the stories if you enjoy them.

**Trust, Loyalty, Commitment**

**Outtake Chapter 1**

As he'd been doing for the last month since they'd known definitely about their move, Edward awoke without the aid of an alarm at five-thirty, sharp. His body prepared almost of its own volition for the onslaught of FBI training, just as it had done when he'd trained to be a Marine and a cop. For a few seconds, he didn't recognize their bedroom, it was so sparse. He and Bella had supervised the movers' expert packing the day before, and most of their belongings were already on a moving van, which would return that morning for the last few items.

Edward rolled toward his sleeping wife. She looked so adorable, he toyed with the idea of letting her sleep and just prepping for his run. They had fallen into bed the night before too tired to do anything but sleep. Now a wave of sentimentality swept over him, and he wanted to say goodbye to their first home the same way they had christened it when they were married two years before. He wanted to make love to her one last time before they left Tallahassee.

He'd made good on his promise to Bella that he had a skill for altering moods and would work her out of being a grumpy morning person. If he woke her with his lips, she was more likely to be amenable to an early morning lovemaking session. He decided he'd better get a move on if he was to be ready when Emmett came by for their run at six fifteen, so he dove right in.

With a move she had dubbed _stealth sex,_ he adjusted her sleep shirt and softly blew on, then kissed an already taut nipple, which had her squirming within seconds. He darted his tongue out and teased, eliciting a soft sigh. Edward moved to the other breast and did the same thing. When her hands wove through his hair, he knew he had her full attention. He latched on and sucked.

"Ooh, _good morning_," she murmured through a sigh.

Edward took that as his approval to continue, and he did.

After a few minutes, she stiffened. "Wait—I need to do my thing."

He knew her reference was to contraception, but he had been thinking more and more about starting a family. Their roles as godparents to Alice and Jasper's, and subsequently, Emmett and Rosalie's, children had softened his stance on procreation. Finally, he believed Bella and Dr. Levy had convinced him to embrace nurture over nature.

Edward ceased his urgent caresses and sought her eyes. "How about we nix the diaphragm and see what happens?"

Bella's face went through a rapid succession of emotion: surprise, intense joy, concern and then love.

"Oh, baby, are you sure?"

He smiled. "Never been more sure of anything in my life."

Bella kissed him so hard, he could feel it all over his body. He chuckled when she let him up for air.

"Maybe we need to always be in baby making mode if that's my reward."

"The fun is only just beginning," she said as her warm hand encircled him and pumped. Her mouth immediately followed her hand, and he was a goner.

He knew Emmett would be ringing the doorbell sooner than he liked, but Edward didn't care. He took control again and became a study in thoroughness, bringing his lovely wife to orgasm twice before he even attempted to claim his own.

He loved it when he made her look like she'd had a couple drinks when he unleashed the full force of his sexual prowess on her. She lay listless in a numbed-muscle dreamland, smiling up at him as he positioned himself over her.

"Oh yay, I'm getting the full _KamaEdSutra_ today," she murmured.

"What the hell…" With a lazy grin he eased into her. They shared a gasp of pleasure and then began to move in tandem. "…It's a special occasion."

Edward took his time and made love to his wife like it was the first time, as they completed their first act of attempting to conceive.

~vTLCv~

Edward and Emmett had submitted their applications to the FBI after Edward had been approached by Special Agent Yorkie, who remembered his performance during the raid on COGS when he took down Aro Volturi. They'd met over lunch, and Yorkie was unabashed in his blatant recruitment of Edward.

"We don't find guys with your natural weapons talent every day. Your government could use your skills." Yorkie sounded like a PR video.

"Give me a few days to think about it," Edward said. Whereupon he'd gone and discussed it with Bella, his parents, her parents, and Emmett before he came away with a solid decision. Then he'd gone back to Yorkie with a counter offer.

"I'll apply," Edward agreed. "But I won't complete the process if my buddy Emmett isn't accepted as well."

"You want me to pull strings for _McCarty_, Cullen?" Yorkie was incredulous.

"No, I'm just stating a fact. McCarty is a Deputy Sheriff here in Leon County and in great shape. He can pull his own weight."

Emmett was too proud to take any financial help from Edward, but if Edward could help him get into a better paygrade, he would do everything he could to make it happen. Hell, he'd even asked Rosalie if she wanted to apply when he and Emmett got ready to post their applications that Saturday morning six months prior. They'd spent the weekend together in Destin on Nyla's first road trip at three months.

"Maybe two years ago I would've said 'yes,'" she replied, "but now I'm not interest in the extended training required to become an FBI agent, nor the possibility that the schedule would take me away from my baby."

It took three in vitro fertilization attempts before they'd conceived, and it had ravaged their meager savings, but Rosalie was as happy as a clam being a mother to Nyla Lillian.

"I'll apply on the local level in and around Quantico once we move, because any job I take will have to be kid friendly and have normal working hours." Rosalie fed Nyla baby cereal for breakfast while Bella, Edward and Emmett made their breakfast.

"I won't have a job when we get there either," Bella said. "So I'd be happy to keep Nyla until you find what you need." She side-eyed her husband. "Anyway, someone's been very vocal about me choosing only work or only school, not both."

Edward defended his stance. "I'll never get to see you if you do both, and it'll be bad enough that we'll be separated a lot during training."

"Are you guys sure about that?" Emmett asked. "We could totally do daycare. You're already letting us live in your house until we can afford one." He took the last of the bacon out of the pan and arranged it on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

"It makes sense for us to live together until you're both out of training," Bella said. "And Nyla is no trouble at all." She tickled Nyla who gave her a toothless grin as she set the eggs on the table. "We have plans, don't we, baby girl?"

"Then it's settled," Edward said as he finished setting the table.

~vTLCv~

Edward's parents offered to drop Emmett and his family off the airport since they wanted to be there to say goodbye. Ted and Elizabeth's relationship had grown more in two years than it ever had the first ten years they'd been married. Edward was astonished by how his parents each had changed this time around. They acted more like newlyweds than he and Bella had in their first year of marriage.

Charlie and Renee were as solid as ever and were praying about an extended Mission Trip to Africa again now that both their girls were married. They had a subdued conversation with them on the way over to the airport.

"Don't forget to call Grace Church when you get there, Bells," Charlie said. "My good friend Gary Knowles might have some leads on a job for you."

"I'm not going to go to that route just yet," Bella said. "I'm taking care of Nyla until Rosalie gets a job, and then I'll be trying to get into a Ph.D. program. Maybe I'll pinch hit as a sub sometimes."

"I've told her she doesn't have to work at all," Edward said, looking everywhere but at his wife. They'd had a heated discussion when he returned from his run about her staying at home full time once she got pregnant.

"You're talking to Renee Higginbotham Swan's daughter, you know that, right?" Charlie teased, as he made the final turn onto Capital Circle to get them to the airport.

"The only way I'll do that, is if I get accepted into a Ph.D. program after…" Bella trailed off. They had agreed not to spill the beans about their trying for a baby to either of their parents yet.

Edward laced her fingers through his and smiled conspiratorially. They were happy her parents were none the wiser.

Bella brought their hands up to her lips and kissed the back of his. "You guys should fly out of DC when you get ready to go to Africa," she said. "Come spend a week with us before you go."

"That's a great idea," Renee said. "I've been wanting to get up there to see the new MLK monument anyway."

"Well, now you have a reason to come very soon," Bella said.

Charlie seemed to brighten up. "We might just do that."

~vTLCv~

Leaving Tallahassee was difficult that Saturday morning. The only thing that made it somewhat easier was the fact that Emmett and Rosalie would join them in their new location for at least a year. Their friends and church family had come out in droves just as they had one other time Edward remembered: when Bella was in the hospital badly beaten, believed to be raped. He thanked God every day that she fully recovered from that trauma and rarely had nightmares about it anymore.

In the two years they'd been married all these people had become like an extended family to them, and Edward knew for the first time, this would be a place he would truly miss when he moved away. Edward couldn't fathom what airport security thought of the throngs of people who were there to see them off, but they hugged and said their goodbyes to everyone. Then there was only family left.

Alice and Jasper were there with Jackson, who had embraced his _terrible twos_ and his favorite word was "no."

Alice hugged Bella, while Edward squatted to Jackson's level. "Hey Jackson, will you give me a hug goodbye?"

Jackson shook his head, his golden blond bowl cut swishing from side to side. "No!"

"Jackson…" Jasper coaxed. "Uncle Edward is going to be far away for a while, and you won't get to see him until we go on vacation."

Jackson paused, seemed to give it some thought, and then he rushed into Edward's arms, and almost bowled him over with his baby-powered centrifugal force.

"That's more like it," Edward said as he enveloped his little godson in his arms. Edward looked over his shoulder at Bella and Alice who blubbered and spoke in whispers about three octaves higher than they usually did.

Edward shook his head at Jasper and rolled his eyes dramatically, as he stood up with Jackson still clasped around his neck.

Jasper shook his head as well, then said, "Not going there."

Jasper and Edward shared a brief hug, and made a sandwich out of little Jackson who now wouldn't let Edward go.

Jasper had to pry his son away. "Come on, Tiger," he said. "Uncle Edward will call you soon, but right now, we've gotta let him say goodbye to a lot of other people, okay?"

"No!" Jackson said, but after a few seconds he released his death grip around Edward's neck and went into his dad's arms.

Next in line were Angela and Ben.

"You're taking my sister away," Angela pouted. "Who am I supposed to have Jasmine's sushi with now? And tell all my secrets to?"

"You've got me, babe," Ben said and pulled her back against his body, and caressed her growing baby bump. "And soon you'll have our little one."

"You're right," she said, grinning back at him and crying at the same time. She turned back to Edward. "I'm counting on you to take care of her, Edward. I'll be calling and checking."

"It's the hormones," Ben mouthed to Edward apologetically.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Edward was careful to brandish his most serious face. Then Angela threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

"You take care of yourself, too," she said. "And don't get too close to any serial killers. I've seen _Silence of the Lambs_."

"I'll steer clear," Edward promised.

Ben grabbed him and bear-hugged him. "Anytime you want me to whip you good in cards, give us a call."

Bella and Angela hugged like they'd never let each other go, and his wife's face was tear-streaked and red. He pulled the pack of travel tissues out of his carry on and grabbed a couple for Bella, then passed them on to other teary-eyed family members.

Carlisle and Esme's goodbye was short and sweet. "Don't be a stranger, Edward. I won't wait for you to come back to us next time. I have colleagues in the DC area that I might just have to pay a visit so we can check on you from time to time." Carlisle embraced him firmly, patted his shoulders, and let him go.

Esme's nose was red and her eyes red-rimmed, but she shed no tears in front of him. "We love you, and we'll miss you and Bella, Edward, but we know you'll take care of each other." She hugged him far longer than she spoke, then finally let him go.

Bella caught up to him saying her goodbyes and he let her go ahead of him, because it began to feel like they'd never get away. Emmett, Rosalie, and Nyla were already through the TSA agents.

Mrs. Williams was there just before they made it to their parents, holding an iPhone with James and Maria on face time. They'd been married six months but were visiting Maria's family in Brazil. Edward and Bella took turns hugging Mrs. Williams while the other said goodbye to James and Maria through the phone.

Finally, they each hugged the parents. Edward hadn't expected it, but he got a lump in his throat when he said goodbye to his mother and father.

"The last couple of years here in the Tallahassee area together have been great, son. This is home now more than Indiana ever was. We'll visit when we can while you're in training, but don't forsake us." His father looked as if he were losing his best friend. Edward could count on one hand the number of times his father had embraced him since they'd reconciled, but this one made up for it all, and then some.

"Not a chance," Edward said. "Tallahassee will always be home for Bella and me."

Bella and Elizabeth were hugging it out when Edward approached his mother. She dabbed at her moist eyes with a hanky before she threw her arms around him.

"I love you, son. Please take care of yourself and our Bella."

"Will do, Mom." He hugged her back. "Will do."

Charlie, ever the man in control clapped Edward on the back as Bella said goodbye to her mother, their tears mingling as they hugged and smiled bravely through them.

"This isn't goodbye, Edward." Charlie said. "Just a so long. We'll be through there in a few months."

Renee wiped her tears as she nodded in agreement. "Yes, get that guest room ready for us."

"Thanks, Charlie, Renee," Edward said.

Bella's parting words were, "Tell Nana and Deacon Wilson we love them." Her grandmother and new husband were in South Florida visiting with Deacon Wilson's family there.

Edward took Bella's hand and pulled her along as they stopped at the first TSA agent.

He gave the agent their tickets and I.D. while Bella looked back and waved one last time to their family. By the time they'd removed their shoes and put their carry-ons on the conveyor belt, their family members were walking toward the exit. Once they were through the metal detector, they couldn't see them anymore. It was at that moment Edward realized they were leaving home.

Gathering the bulk of their items as they rolled to the end of the conveyor belt, Edward herded his shell-shocked wife to a waiting bench to sit down. He kneeled and replaced her shoes for her, then reached up to touch her cheek.

"You okay?"

It only took his earnest inquiry about her well-being to make her dissolve into tears again, and he took her into his arms.

"Shh, I know it's hard baby, but we'll have Emmett, Rosalie, and Nyla. It won't be so bad, you'll see."

Maybe the prolonged goodbyes and outpouring of love hadn't been such a good idea after all.

~vTLCv~

Edward pushed himself as he ran through the woods surrounding the FBI Headquarters. It was early morning, yet he was already sweating from exertion. His hair was dark, wet and matted to his head, and a dark vee of perspiration stained his company issued sweats. It was Monday, coming off a great weekend at home with Bella and the McCartys.

Speaking of Emmett, he'd pulled away from him and the rest of the pack running the gauntlet that morning. He wanted to see just how quickly he could complete the obstacle course now that they'd been training two months. He kind of liked the idea of having the bragging rights for that accomplishment in his training class, too.

As he propelled himself forward to grasp the rope and rappel across the makeshift wall, he heard someone calling him.

"Cullen! Yo, Cullen!"

"Edward! Edward!"

It was his classmate Terence Samuels, an African American from Chicago whom he had befriended, and Emmett making for him at breakneck speed. Edward let his feet walk back down the wall to a safe distance, then he jumped down and waited for them.

Between breathing hard and doubling over to catch his breath, Emmett relayed a message.

"Don't…freak out. Rose called. Bella's sick or something. She ditched work when she took the call, both Bella and Nyla crying…"

Edward took off in the direction from whence they came, with Terrence and Emmett on his heels.

When Edward got home, he found Bella in their bedroom napping, the house smelling eerily like Pinesol.

Rosalie, holding Nyla, came to the door and beckoned for him. He went into the hall and pulled the door closed behind him.

"What happened?" he asked.

"She said she started to make breakfast for herself after feeding Nyla, and her stomach got upset. You should have seen the place when I got here. Poor thing left a trail of vomit from the kitchen to your bedroom. Bella was hugging the toilet, and Nyla was sitting on the bathroom floor wailing like a banshee."

"Did you take her to the doctor?"

"No," Rosalie said. "We didn't think it was necessary."

"I'll take her when she wakes up," he said.

Rosalie practically pushed him back toward the door. "She wanted you to wake her up when you got here, so..."

Nyla whined and reached for him, but Rosalie held her back. "Go on!"

Edward thought Rosalie acted weird, but he didn't have time to figure out why. He would wake Bella up and take her to the doctor.

When he opened the door, he saw Bella already stirring on the bed. He rushed over and sat down next to her and felt her forehead.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" he whispered.

She half-smiled. "Kind of yucky to tell you the truth, but it's for a good reason."

His brow furrowed. "How is upchucking all over the place a good—" Then he registered why. "Are we…?"

She nodded. "Yes."

Excited, Edward took her into his arms, then calmed himself down and touched her still flat tummy. Bella was ecstatic as she took him into the bathroom to show him the plus sign on the test she'd taken before she took her nap.

"You remember, when you were home over the weekend, how sore my breasts were? Rosalie said that was a sign, so I took the test after she got Nyla calmed down and the floors cleaned."

He held her close again. "I'm glad she was able to get to you so quickly."

Rosalie temporarily taught Driver's Education at a local high school until she got clearance to teach a driving course at Quantico. Edward and Emmett had overheard their instructors talking about their need for good drivers to teach the agents high-speed pursuit techniques. It would be a nine-to-five job with all the requisite government benefits, and an excellent starting paygrade.

Now that they were pregnant, Edward worried that babysitting and being sick herself for a while would be too much for Bella.

"Baby, maybe we should get someone in to look after you and Nyla," he said.

Bella rolled her eyes. "People get pregnant every day. I can still take care of Nyla and myself just fine. I'll just need to manage the nausea." She pointed to her nightstand. "Saltines and ginger ale seem to do the trick right now."

All of a sudden he became downright intoxicated with happiness. "I'm going to be a father." He picked Bella up gently and swung her around.

"Whoa," she said and then laughed, agreeing with him. "Yes, you are."

"Thank you, baby." Edward set her down and screamed to the heavens. "Thank you, God! We're going to be parents!"

Bella was moved to tears by his elation.

~vTLCv~

Life in Quantico, Virginia wasn't half bad. Acclimating had been easier because Edward and Bella were also reunited with their good friends, Reisa and Jared Featherstone, who visited every couple of months now that they were less than a good train ride away. Jared was engaged to a gorgeous Native American girl named Leah who fit right in with their group of friends.

Bella's baby bump sprouted overnight, and before they knew it, she had to buy maternity clothes and developed a voracious appetite, although the morning sickness hadn't fully abated. It had been so bad, Reisa had come to spend a few weeks with Bella and Nyla, who now viewed Reisa Featherstone as a surrogate grandmother.

Edward smiled when he thought of the chubby little cherub with her white-blonde curls and how she'd taken to Reisa. She toddled around the house behind her as she went about keeping things in order while the men and Rosalie worked and Bella was debilitated by morning sickness.

It made Edward feel awful that his desire to have a family was doing what it did to her, but Bella wouldn't have it.

"All this is normal, except the more severe morning sickness. Dr. McKelter has a theory why it's like this, and we'll find out soon enough if that theory holds any water. In the meantime, stop panicking. You're making me nervous."

Nyla came toddling into the living room, her face lighting up when she saw Edward. Rosalie and Emmett weren't far behind her.

"Edverb!" She gurgled what they'd come to know was her version of Edward's name and reached her arms out to him, and he picked her up. Her favorite thing was grabbing handfuls of his hair, which Bella teased him about relentlessly, and didn't hesitate to remind him again.

"Nyla loves your hair as much as I do," she said. "I hate to break it to her, but when she grows up, she'll have to find her own ginger."

Emmett was kind of ticked that his daughter wasn't equally as fascinated by his hair. He would hold her up close to his head, but she'd just look at him quizzically and blow spit bubbles at his face.

Rosalie thought it was hysterical. "Oh, babe, she just wants you to blow strawberries on her tummy. That's your thing. Uncle Edward will always be _the hair_ in your daughter's eyes."

Bella did the little two finger point to her eyes and then to Nyla's. "I'm watching you, baby girl." And that made little Nyla erupt into a fit of giggles.

"Give me my baby," Rosalie said, taking Nyla from Edward. "Auntie Bella, you know she doesn't understand jealous bitchery yet. Give her a few years."

Reisa had whipped up a batch of organic baby food for Nyla and brought it to Rosalie to feed her.

"Thanks, Reisa," Rosalie said. "I don't know what we're all going to do when you leave."

"Amen to that," Edward said.

Reisa smiled. "I promise I won't go anywhere until Bella's keeping her food down every day."

Edward swept his surrogate mother off her feet, using the name they believed Nyla did when referring to Reisa. "Thanks, Feather Mama."

~vTLCv~

Early in Bella's second trimester, she grew like gangbusters, and it became clear to all concerned, and confirmed by an ultrasound that they would have more than one baby.

"I thought it was supposed to skip a generation or something," Edward said, speaking of her Aunt Lonnette's twins.

"Maybe this is God helping us to even the numbers of males and females in our families. I don't know, but I think it's great." She said as she slathered that cream on her tummy that her mother and aunt swore would limit the stretch marks.

Edward stopped wearing a path on their bedroom carpet and cocked his head. "Great? Baby, I just got my head wrapped around one. I could still suck at being a dad."

Bella wiped her hands on a towel and pulled her shirt down. "How can you even say that given how great you've been with Jackson and Nyla?"

The thought of having one baby had him so excited that he was too stupid to think of any downside to it, but having two at once had him scared spitless. Bella was all calm about the situation, but he was literally freaked out.

"What this'll mean is if they both need attention at the same time, I'll have to take care of one of them on my own."

"So, we'll take some childcare classes in addition to the childbirth classes."

She always had a solution, but he still wasn't convinced. She must have seen the panic that had taken over his body in his eyes.

"If all else fails, we'll call in the experts."

"What experts?"

"Our parents."

~vTLCv~

Volatile situations regarding domestic security didn't cooperate with agents' family milestones. As fate would have it, Edward had to go to the West Coast on a mission that was of such a confidential nature he couldn't even share where he was assigned with his very pregnant wife. Bella was due in two weeks, but as the twins had gotten bigger in her last month, and she'd been relegated to bed rest, both their mothers had come in to be close to her in his absence.

Renee sounded like Claire Huxtable when she kept saying in an incredulous voice, "My baby's having a baby."

Bella just shook her head in disbelief from her vantage point on the bed.

Elizabeth was a little more in control of her emotions and she kind of took charge. Edward was grateful they would be there.

The sensitivity of what he had to do couldn't wait another month, so Edward would go despite his misgivings. He was needed to rid the world of a lethal terrorist who had killed women and children in his own country and built many bombs to kill innocent people in several European nations. The common people in his own village languished on the poverty line, while this Al Qaeda operative had been lavished with riches by one of its country's rulers. Now intel had put him on U.S. soil, and the FBI, CIA, and ATF in a counter-terrorist sting operation worked together to bring him down.

His father-in-law, the man he considered his pastor even though they'd attended a church in town since they'd lived in Virginia, helped him work through what he had to do, just as Bella had when he'd killed Aro. Now that she was bedridden and in her 36th week, he didn't want to burden her with his work concerns. Charlie had a "take no prisoners" attitude in meting out his advice on this occasion.

"You take down whoever it is with impunity and hightail it back to Virginia to be with my baby girl and your babies. You're making America safe for your own children now. Don't hesitate to do what is required by your government. You are absolved of any guilt, because you're giving to Caesar what is Caesar's. Do your duty, soldier."

Edward would do just that.

The team moved into a remote place just on the southern edge of the Mohave Desert and did a whole lot of waiting for most of the week, until Thursday, when the target was sighted about an hour outside of their location. Intel had the target making his way to a bungalow about a mile away from where Edward was set up. The target would meet some undercover ATF agents to make a buy of a very hard to get chemical required for his bomb-making hobby.

Edward's body coiled into full alert mode when he heard a disembodied voice filter through his earpiece.

"Triple-seven Phoenix. The target is approaching in a silver pickup truck. He is of Middle Eastern descent, average height, has dark hair, and is wearing a light blue shirt."

Edward, already surveilling the area through his scope, located the truck with no problem, barreling along the road and kicking up a cloud of dust. He made a wide arc to the bungalow where the undercover ATF agents were located. Only two would engage the target when he arrived, but there were about a dozen other agents from various agencies hidden in locations around the perimeter of the bungalow. Edward was perched on an abandoned oil rigging, his ass numb from being up there for the better part of four hours.

The truck spotted the bungalow and veered of the road into a pebbled drive. Three men of Middle Eastern descent stepped out of the truck. _Fuck! Two of them were dark-haired and wearing blue shirts._

"You gotta give me more detail Triple-zero Alpha. Two targets in almost identical clothing have exited the truck. Detail now!" Edward barked into his mouthpiece.

He didn't have time for this. His wife was in Virginia about to give birth to their babies, and the intel was all jacked up. He did not want to be on this assignment another day. That would cut it too close to the beginning of her 38th week.

"Triple-zero Alpha, target is on the move. Need that piece of intel now, or I'm going to lose him."

Edward zoomed onto the one who'd first emerged from the passenger side door. He looked more like the subject they'd studied back at Quantico, but the other one had similar features, and he couldn't be sure.

"Confirming, Triple-seven Phoenix."

Edward wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and re-positioned himself to take the kill shot. His money was on the guy he'd chosen from memory and the tiny image through his site.

"Target is the one not wearing a cap. On your mark Triple-seven Phoenix. ATF agents on the ground will move in on the other two once you've taken out the target."

"Copy that, Triple-zero Alpha. On three." Edward counted down, held his breath, and squeezed off his shot. When the target dropped, the two undercover agents and about half a dozen others swarmed the two remaining men.

Edward climbed out of the oil rigging and rendezvoused with Agent Samuels about half a mile from his location, well hidden behind a huge copse of cacti.

"Let's rock and roll," Samuels said, as he turned the ignition and the engine roared to life.

"Yeah," Edward replied, only too happy to be headed home. "If we don't make it back to the airport by 0800 hours, your goose is cooked."

Samuels kicked the vehicle in gear, and they hauled ass to Edwards Air Force Base.

~vTLCv~

Edward was about to board the plane when he got the call from Renee.

"We're on our way to the hospital, Edward. Tell me you're back in the DC area and headed to the hospital."

He'd never wanted to curse in front of his mother-in-law as much as he wanted to then. "I'm boarding my flight now, and you can bet I'll be calling in every favor I can to get there before my babies are born."

After calling his boss to wrangle a few favors and threatening a couple of MPs, he made it to the hospital aboard an army helicopter minutes before their identical twin boys, Tristan Charles and Nathan Carlisle Cullen were born. Bella was so relieved when he showed up, she burst into tears and then was able to fully concentrate on her labor as she went into transition.

His emotions went from annoyance that his job had almost made him miss the birth of his sons, to awe at how Bella handled the excruciating contractions sans medication, to joy that he had cut the umbilical cords of first Nathan and then Tristan.

They took turns bonding on their mother's belly before they were cleaned up, examined by the neonatologist, and then placed in his arms. Renee videotaped while his mother took copious still shots of their first minutes in the world. Things had gotten so tense in the room when he arrived, the nurses failed to ask anyone to leave, so he and Bella ended up with two extra people in the room with them for their first birthing experience.

Later, when all their family and friends had gone, and Bella had slept several hours, the nurse brought the babies into the room with them. Both were fussy, because they were hungry and earlier attempts to breast feed them had been fruitless. This time, the nurse assisted Bella in getting them to latch on, and at only approximately five and a half pounds each, they both could nurse all at once in comfort.

Edward was fascinated by it and kind of jealous of the babies at the same time.

"So, how long are they going to have first dibs on my favorite part of your anatomy?"

Bella, cradling their tiny sons' heads as they nursed, shook her head in disbelief. "Are you jealous of your own sons, Mr. Cullen?"

"N-n… Yeah, sort of. They'll have a monopoly on them for months."

Bella giggled. "You should see the look on your face, and for the record, they're breasts. And I'm sure the boys will share."

Tristan lost his grip and, for a second, looked around. Edward began to talk to him. "Hey, son. Is that good? Yeah, well just remember, I was there first and save some for me."

Bella's jaw dropped. "I can't believe you're saying such wholly inappropriate things to your newborn son."

"He's too young to remember that, right? See, I told you, I could really suck at this." Tristan rooted around until he latched back on again.

Bella's eyes softened. "Our voices soothe them, but all they hear is some version of blah, blah, blah right now. No, you won't suck at being their father. They already love you and will even more as they grow older—just as much as you love them."

"I do love them, so much, Bella. And I love you for enduring everything you have to give them to me. To us." His voice cracked at the end, but he kept his emotions in check.

Bella puckered up for a kiss, and he leaned over the heads of his nursing baby boys to gently press his lips to hers.

~vTLCv~

**E/N: **It was such a joy to be back in Copward's head for this chapter. There are two more to come, so stay tuned!

The Truly Anonymous Twilight Contest is in the Voting Phase. If you haven't already, please go to the site at ficcontest(dot)info and vote for the top three AU & AH one shots. There are some great stories in the 97 entries we received.


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